Shoal Creek’s Rough Mows ‘Em Down : PGA: Bobby Wadkins (68) leads Couples and O’Meara by one as only 15 break par in first round.

In one of the more interesting pairings of the week, Payne Stewart found himself seated next to President Pat Rielly of the PGA of America at Wednesday evening’s Dinner of PGA Champions.

“Saw your comments,” said Rielly of Stewart’s pretournament bashing of the Shoal Creek Country Club’s Bermuda grass rough.

Stewart, the defending PGA champion, nodded.

“You’re entitled to that opinion,” Rielly said. “But I’m not going to cut it.”

And he didn’t. No one did. The result was a tournament light on red numbers and heavy on complaints as only 15 in the 152-player field finished the first round of Thursday’s PGA Championship under par.

Leader Bobby Wadkins shot a 68, four under, in a round that featured eight birdies and almost that many criticisms of Shoal Creek’s shot-swallowing rough.

“You’re just hoping to see the golf ball, much less hit it,” said Wadkins, who called the rough the worst he has seen during his 16 winless years on the tour. “Someone told me they found a Rolex out there. You’re liable to find anything.”

Wadkins said he was tempted to bring his 6-month-old son to the course, put him in the rough and see if the child could be seen.

“I don’t know what (the PGA) was trying to prove by that,” he said. “There’s no skill about going in there with a sand wedge, acting like Hulk Hogan and hitting the hell out of it.”

Even Fred Couples, who hit every fairway Thursday on his way to a 69 and a tie with Mark O’Meara for second place, knew the harsh reality of errant drives.

“When you stand on the tee, you know if you don’t hit the cut grass, you have no chance at all,” Couples said.

Curtis Strange and Tom Kite didn’t hit enough fairways and look what happened to them. They finished with matching 79s. Jack Nicklaus had a 78. Greg Norman, with his customary poor first round, Lee Trevino, who won at Shoal Creek in 1984, and U.S. Open champion Hale Irwin stalked away with 77s.

Still, not everyone struggled. Billy Mayfair, who won the 1987 U.S. Amateur, managed a 70, as did Scott Verplank, the only player to reach five under during his round before fading on the final four holes.

Verplank was in sole possession of the lead when he reached the par-five, 530-yard 17th hole. His drive, he said, “was probably 10,000 trees to the right of the fairway.” Four shots later, after spending more time in the pines than some wild animals, Verplank got back on the fairway. Two shots later he had his double bogey.

Verplank, a diabetic who was hospitalized earlier in the year, said he got tired late in his round as his sugar level decreased. To combat it, he ate fruits or peanut butter crackers or sandwiches every three holes.

“I’ve got a small grocery store in my bag,” he said. “Guys come up and ask me for something to eat.”

But Verplank found the demands of a major championship too much to overcome. “There’s more stress and strain when you tee it up in a major,” he said. “That’s probably the main reason I struggled coming in.”

The most vocal critic of Shoal Creek’s rough, Stewart, also faltered slightly at round’s end. He bogeyed No. 17 and finished three strokes behind Wadkins. Despite the sub-par round, Stewart refused to give up his fight against Rielly’s overgrown Bermuda grass.

“He said it was 3 1/2 inches,” Stewart said of the rough. “I’d like him to take a ruler out there and measure it.”

Stewart is tied with nine others at one under, among them Mike Reid, who led last year’s PGA until the 70th hole, when he recorded a bogey, followed by a double bogey and a par.

Though in a position to challenge again, Reid said he would rather not think about the well-documented collapse. Someone then mentioned that he had made many friends with his handling of the situation.

“I’d rather win the tournament and make less friends,” he said.

PGA Notes

Asked about the 12 “non-Americans” invited to the PGA Championship, Britain’s Nick Faldo couldn’t help but use the opportunity as a chance to criticize the PGA of America’s player-selection process. “I’m still very disappointed that they don’t invite the (European Ryder Cup) team, our team,” he said. “They invited the U.S. team. They should have more international players here this week.” Faldo then was asked if the U.S. Ryder Cup team is invited to play the European PGA Championship. “Ah, touche,” said Faldo, smiling. “But it’s not a major, though--thank God.” Faldo, trying for his third major title of the year, was in contention with a 71.

Ken Green was disqualified after missing his 8:46 a.m. tee time. Instead of consulting the official pairings sheet, Green read Wednesday’s edition of USA Today, not realizing that the newspaper’s starting times were given in Eastern Daylight Time. Birmingham is in the Central time zone, meaning that Green was an hour late. Green, who was replaced by Jay Delsing, wasn’t the only casualty of the threesome. Bill Glasson withdrew after nine holes because of back problems.

Arnold Palmer, the only player with a lifetime exemption for the tournament, was two under after three holes and still finished with an 81. His round included four bogeys, a double bogey and and two triple bogeys. . . . Lanny Wadkins, leader Bobby Wadkins’ older brother, wasn’t too far back. He shot a 74.