GOLF HONDA CLASSIC:GRAEME McDOWELL made a solid start to the €4 million Honda Classic after carding a two-under-par 68 in blustery conditions to get within three shots of the early overnight lead held by Australian Nathan Green at PGA National in Florida yesterday.
Pádraig Harrington had a difficult opening day, and, true to his words on Wednesday, he endured a “big tough golf course” at Palm Beach Gardens and had to wait until his final hole to record his only birdie of the day.
Having started on the back nine, the three-time major winner dropped shots at the 11th and 16th to turn in 37.
Although he stemmed the flow on the front side, eight straight pars were not what the Dubliner was looking for.
That said, the 38-year-old signed-off with a birdie at the ninth, his 18th, for a one-over 71.
McDowell picked up three birdies on the front side – the third, sixth and eighth – to turn in 32, but bogeys at 10 and 14, with just one birdie at 13, took some of the shine off his round.
The Portrush pro played with a certain amount of freedom, safe in the knowledge he had already done enough to make it into next week’s WGC–CA Championship where he, Harrington and Rory McIlroy will comprise the Irish contingent once more.
The 30-year-old’s place was secure after he remained just inside the world’s top-50 (49th) at the start of the week.
McIlroy, sporting a new, trimmer haircut, started out as the model of consistency with 12 pars and one birdie in his first 13 holes.
However the 20-year-old’s round unravelled on the closing stretch after a first bogey of the day came at 14, and he then found water at the par-three 17th when his seven-iron came up short. In the end he made a good bogey after holing from 10 feet.
The world number nine made a good up-and-down for par from behind the green at 18 to join Harrington on one over.
Green enjoyed a flawless round of 65 with his fifth birdie of the day coming at the 18th. The 34-year-old, who won last year’s Canadian Open from a play-off against Retief Goosen, is already renowned for his putting: he was fourth and eighth in the PGA Tour stats for 2008 and 2007 respectively.
His round contained 11 one-putts, and he was 16 for 16 in putts holed inside 10 feet, plus he converted a 30-footer for birdie at the eighth.
Little-known Brazilian Alexandre Rocha (66) was in outright second on four under, while Fiji’s Vijay Singh (67) and big-hitting American Bubba Watson (67), formed part of the chasing pack on three under.
The 1983 Ryder Cup venue caused havoc for defending champion YE Yang.
The South Korean US PGA champion started at the 10th and ran up a nine at the par four 11th, double-bogeyed 14, made further bogeys at 10 and 17, while a solitary birdie at 12 was the only bright point in a disastrous, eight-over back nine.
