GOLF / PGA AT SAN DIEGO : Not Many See Three Shoot 65

Perhaps half of the gallery at Torrey Pines for the first round of the Buick Invitational Thursday attached itself to a group that included defending champion Phil Mickelson, the local kid, and Payne Stewart, Mr. Knickers.

Stewart, noting the gathering crowd before he teed off, issued a disclaimer of sorts.

“I don’t want the gallery to think we’re the only players in the field,” he said. “Some of these names might not be the ones they’re accustomed to seeing, but it doesn’t mean they aren’t great golfers.”

While the multitudes were chasing Mickelson, Stewart and Keith Clearwater, the following occurred:

--Doug Martin played to virtually no gallery and shot a 65.

--David Toms played to virtually no gallery and shot a 65.

--Ronnie Black got the crowd’s attention with a 29 on his first nine holes and played to a growing gallery en route to his 65.

Those were the leaders after the first round. They have a total of two PGA Tour victories among them, both by Black--the Southern Open in 1983 and the Anheuser-Busch tournament in 1984.

In the most celebrated threesome, Mickelson and Clearwater both shot 68, Stewart a 70. They were off the pace, but not far off the pace.

Thursday’s “true” leader was probably the best on the tougher South Course, Toms, followed by Ed Dougherty, whose 66 tied him with three others for fourth place.

The day’s most spectacular round belonged to the 35-year-old Black, who had to scramble at the end of last year to finish 125th on the money list and gain an exemption for 1994.

Starting on the North’s back nine, he birdied the 10th and 11th holes but fell back when he missed a three-footer for par on the 13th. The best way to describe that start was unremarkable. Suddenly, however, Black birdied the 15th, eagled the par-four 16th, birdied the 17th and eagled the par-five 18th. He picked up six strokes in four holes and finished the back nine at 29, lowest for that stretch in the tournament’s history.

“My best shot all day was the wedge on 16,” Black said. “It was my most solid shot. That green was really elevated, so I couldn’t even see it go in.”

Surely, the gallery must have tipped him off?

“I think there were five or six people up there,” he said. “They clapped.”

Curiously, Black was pleased with his score but not with his round.

“It was a round like I’ve never had before,” he mused. “I hit two horrible tee balls on 10 and 11 and I’m two under. I scattered bad shots through the whole round. I hit lousy drives all day long.”

While Black was shooting his 65, Martin, a 27-year-old graduate of the Nike Tour, was almost blase about his round.

“It was just a straight-forward and basic seven-under,” he said. “I was just trying to keep myself in the fairways and give myself a chance.”