David Edwards, Not at PGA West, Leads on a 61 : He’ll Take a Two-Shot Edge in Hope Golf Onto the Toughest Course Today

Ben Crenshaw described the scene as he and his three amateur partners teed off on the first hole Wednesday morning at PGA West.

“We were very, very silent,” he said. “It’s usually more festive. But we all knew what lay ahead.”

It must have been what Odysseus felt upon embarking on his voyage, what Hannibal felt when his elephants started over the Alps, what the shoe salesman felt whenever he saw Imelda Marcos walk into the store. It was going to be a long day.

When he looked out from the first tee at PGA West, the wind blowing in his face, Curtis Strange said he “felt like someone had died, or was about to.”

On a day when the average player at PGA West shot 73.8, Strange had a very respectable 70, two under par. Of the 32 touring pros who played the year-old course, which is making its Bob Hope-Chrysler Classic debut, only eight broke par.

By contrast, on the other courses in the rotation for this year’s Hope, 27 golf pros shot better than par at Indian Wells, 23 at Tamarisk and 17 at Bermuda Dunes.

On the scoreboards, the names of the courses that the leaders are playing are abbreviated. Indian Wells is IW, Tamarisk is TM, Bermuda Dunes is BD.

Dave Stockton, who shot 70 at PGA West, said he finished his round without finding out what the abbreviation for PGA West was.

“It was never on the leader board,” he said.

For his information, it’s PG. It should be R.

Danny Edwards had the best round at PGA West, a 69 that left him in a 14-way tie for 24th and eight strokes behind the leader, David Edwards, Danny’s younger brother.

David Edwards, 30, playing at Indian Wells, had an 11-under-par 61, which is the best round he has shot in nine years on the tour and was good for a two-stroke lead in the tournament.

Edwards’ previous best was a 64 at Riviera on the final day of the 1984 L.A. Open, which he won by three shots. That’s still his only individual tournament championship.

Edwards, who said he prepared for this season by riding motorcycles and playing with his remote-controlled miniature cars, had two eagles, which is twice as many as he had all of last year. None of the 32 pros who played the first round at Indian Wells would say it was a pushover, but . . .

“Of the four courses, it’s my favorite,” Edwards said. “If you get something going, you can get a good score. It’s kind of fun to see how low you can shoot.”

At least as impressive was the nine-under-par 63 shot by Andy Bean at Tamarisk, which is considered more difficult than either Indian Wells or Bermuda Dunes.

The best round at Bermuda Dunes Wednesday was Fuzzy Zoeller’s 66, which left Zoeller in a six-way tie for fourth place. Dan Forsman was third after a 65 at Indian Wells.

When learning that Edwards’ 61 had been shot at Indian Wells, the second-place Bean, his tongue firmly planted in his cheek, said: “Oh, I thought it was at PGA West.”

Edwards will have his shot at PGA West today, Bean on Friday.

On each of the first four days, the 128 pros and their amateur partners play a different course. On the fifth and final day, the low 70 pros and ties return to PGA West to play for $900,000. The winner earns $162,000.

In recent years, because of the relatively easy desert courses, the Hope has been a birdie contest. Donnie Hammond won it last year at 25 under par, Lanny Wadkins won it the year before at 27 under.

“I used to love the Hope,” said Craig Stadler, who also finished 27 under in 1985 before losing to Wadkins in a playoff.

“It was fun to start the year at 20 under par after not playing for a while. That was a confidence builder.

“Then they put this thing in there.”

This Thing is PGA West.

As the players finished their rounds at PGA West, rated by the United States Golf Assn. as the nation’s toughest course, most were in surprisingly jovial moods. It’s like you feel after you’ve been to the dentist.

“I’d like to go out there with some dynamite,” said Ken Green, who shot 76.

Davis Love III, who obviously was taught good manner by Davis Love II, didn’t want to talk about his 74.

“If you can’t say something nice, you shouldn’t say anything at all,” he said.

Crenshaw, who shot 75, was still in shock.

“I’m trying to figure out what to say,” he said. “I don’t know how anyone can have fun out there, I really don’t.”

Stadler also shot 75, which he said he thought was about par for the course.

“It’s not that tough if you hit it into the fairway,” he said. “But if you miss the fairway, you’re dead. There’s not much rough, but you’re standing in a 19-foot bunker, or in the water or on your nose.”

Strange was as diplomatic as he felt possible.

“I played better than 70,” he said. “But I was so defensive that I wasn’t able to make many birdies. I don’t like that feeling of having to play so defensively.

“It’s a beautiful course. Of course, it’s one thing to look at it, and another to have to play it. “You feel so sorry for the amateurs. They love the game so much, and they try so hard. But the harder they try, the more the golf course gets them by the throat.

“I hope this isn’t the future of golf, what it’s going to look like.” He sent his compliments to the course architect, Pete Dye, also known as Dr. Frankenstein.

“Pete Dye has thick skin,” Strange said. “He knows where we’re coming from. I think he’s enjoying it.”

Dave Stockton, who represents PGA West on the tour and has played the course more than 30 times, offered hope for the future.

“I shot 81 the first time I played here and lost six balls,” he said. “The last two times I played here before today, I shot 69 and 71. I’ve learned how to play it.”

He shot 70 at PGA West Wednesday.