The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
PGA Windy first day leaves unlikely leader
Herman up by one as McIlroy, others struggle in gusts.
Gusty winds Thursday in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., helped the Champion course at PGA National bare its teeth at the Honda Classic — and the carnage was everywhere.
Sustained winds of 15-20 mph, with a peak gust of 34, wreaked havoc with some of the best shot-makers in the game, starting with world No. 1 Rory McIlroy, who put up two double-bogeys in his first five holes before rallying for a 3-over 73. And there were plenty worse rounds: Dustin Johnson and Ernie Els both shot 77.
The unlikely leader was Jim Herman, who didn’t learn he was in the field until he had begun playing Monday’s qualifier. Herman, who is ranked No. 394 in the world, had a bogey-free 65 for a one-shot lead over Brendan Steele.
Both Herman and Steele played in the morning, as did 15 of the 19 players who finished under par. By the time the McIlroy’s group teed off in the early afternoon, the winds were howling and unpredictable. Scores went up by an average of more than a shot per round, from 71.67 in the morning to 72.92 in the afternoon.
“The conditions were very tricky from the start,” said McIlroy, whose opening drive landed out of bounds in the driving range.
They may not get an awful lot better all weekend. While the winds are expected to subside and temperatures should be more moderate than Thursday’s high of 86, thunderstorms are in the forecast each of the next three days.
If there’s one player who bears watching among the 12 within three shots of the lead, it’s four-time winner Patrick Reed. The 24-yearold native of Augusta had it rolling early, with four birdies on his first eight holes, but then lost it, posting four bogeys against one birdie from Nos. 10-15. Birdies at Nos. 16 and 18 got him back to 3 under, the best round of the afternoon.
“I was happy to make a lot of birdies,” Reed said. “But it was tough out there, and it seemed all day it was hard to get it really close.
“You could play to the fat part of greens, but even when you hit it to 7-8 feet, you had to see which way the wind was going, even on putts. It just makes it a little more difficult.” Reed will have a morning tee time today.
Among other potential contenders, Martin Kaymer was at 68, Rickie Fowler at 70, and Phil Mickelson, Keegan Bradley and Jason Dufner at 71. Defending champion Russell Henley had a 73, the highest of his nine career rounds in the event.
Herman, 37, had never led after any round of a PGA Tour event. He learned he was in the field while on the No. 4 tee at the Monday qualifier when Scott Verplank pulled out.
Herman knows he can’t relax. Just two years ago, Camilo Villegas took the first-round lead with a 64, then came back with a 77 and missed the cut.
“I’ve got to go straighten out my driver on the range,” said Herman, who lives in nearby Palm City. “After that, (I’ll) just go home and relax. I’ve got two kids, and they’re not going to care if I shot 65 or 75. They’re going to want to see me.”
Etc.: Stacy Lewis, Brittany Lang and Yani Tseng shot opening 6-under 66s to share a one-shot lead at the LPGA Thailand in Chonburi. … Nic Henning shot 9-under 62 for a one-shot lead at the Joburg Open.