Weir Strikes While His Irons Are Hot

The last time Mike Weir played on the PGA Tour, he was hitting his irons close to the flag on his way to victory in the Tour Championship. Two months later, only the scenery has changed.

In the best ball-striking round of his career, Weir tied the Plantation Course record with a 10-under-par 63 on Thursday and built a three-stroke lead in the first round of the season-opening Mercedes Championships at Kapalua, Hawaii.

“That was way above my expectations,” said Weir, who spent much of December skiing.

Frank Lickliter, one of nine players making their debuts in the winners-only tournament, holed out from 144 yards with an eight-iron after hitting into a hazard for an unusual birdie, which carried him to a 66.

David Duval, who had set the course record two years ago, had a 67 and was joined by Cameron Beckman, Chris DiMarco and Scott Verplank.

Tiger Woods took an adventurous route along Kapalua but straightened himself out with two eagles and finished with a 68.

With only a breeze blowing off the coast of Maui, Woods figured someone would shoot about 65.

“Weirsy happened to go lower. That’s good for him,” Woods said. “He’s been playing well and he’s going to be hard to catch.”

The start of the season was still a relaxing day for some. Duval was eager to get in front of a television to watch the Rose Bowl, and he’s counting the days before he can hit the slopes in Sun Valley--Monday morning. In between, he posted a 67.

Weir wasn’t sure what to think of his round.

While the 63 tied his lowest career round in relation to par, it could have been better.

He three-putted for par on No. 5 and missed four putts inside 10 feet on the back nine.

So pure were his irons that the longest birdie putt he made was seven feet on the 15th.

“It’s tough to assess how my putting was today because I had so many kick-ins,” Weir said. “When I had a 10-footer, it felt like 30 feet. Obviously, I’m not complaining. It was one of those days where my irons were dialed in.”

Weir was using new irons for the first time in competition. He spent most of December on the slopes of Utah, nowhere near a golf course except for four days in Palm Springs working with his coach.

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Ty Tryon, 17, the high school junior who became the youngest player to earn his PGA Tour card, will open the season in the Phoenix Open, his agent said.

The Phoenix Open is Jan. 24-27 on the TPC at Scottsdale, Ariz.