Donald Goes to Head of ‘Glass

In last year’s first round of the AT&T; Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, Phil Mickelson fired a shocking 62 at Spyglass Hill, good for a course record.

Many exhaled slowly and spoke in hushed tones about just how long Mickelson’s mark would last. Probably into the next century was the best guess.

Hopefully, they used a pencil to write down Mickelson’s record.

Actually, it lasted into the very next year, or until Thursday as a matter of fact, when Luke Donald torched Spyglass with an identical 62, which was worth a one-shot lead over Mike Weir after the opening round.

The conditions were perfect on the first day, meaning the only wind around the place was whipped up by golf balls as they whooshed into the holes. When the carnage ended, 128 of the 180 pros shot par or better.

Still, a 62 at Spyglass in back-to-back years is regarded as no small matter.

“Sixty-two is just, that’s just stupid, it really is,” Arron Oberholser said. “I mean, those two guys, Mickelson and Donald, they don’t know how good it is because they didn’t grow up on these courses like I did ... 62 is just ridiculous.”

Probably, but what’s really ridiculous is the weather. Forget rain, because it was sunny. And if there isn’t any wind, few courses can stand up to the pros and that’s just what happened Thursday. Weir pointed out the obvious.

“There wasn’t even a zephyr of wind out there,” he said. “It was unbelievable. I can’t imagine it being any better.”

He might have been forced to use his imagination after the first hole at Pebble Beach, which he bogeyed. But he had 10 birdies the rest of the way and his 63 tied the course record as well. It matched Davis Love’s score in 2001 when playing the ball down. Tom Kite and David Duval had 62s, but they were both accomplished while playing winter rules of lift, clean and place.

Spyglass has long enjoyed a reputation as the most difficult of the three courses. It’s 6,862 yards, which isn’t all that long, but there are blind shots and elevated greens with contours. Donald played as if he didn’t care. After five holes, he was six under.

Donald, from England, had one birdie putt of 45 feet, another of 30 feet and eagled the 14th when he holed a sand wedge from 96 yards.

Now, after absorbing two 62s in two years, could Spyglass lose its reputation?

“It might,” Donald said. “You know, when Phil shot his 62, a lot of people were saying that it would be a long time [until] another guy shoots 62 out there. But it only took 365 days, so I’m glad it was me.”

There are eight players within four shots of the lead, trailing Donald. Weir is closest. Oberholser, who shot a 67 at Poppy Hills, is tied with Michael Allen and Nick Watney at seven-under 65. Brian Davis, Darron Stiles, Tim Clark and Greg Chalmers are next at 66 and there’s a 12-way tie for 10th at five under, a group headlined by defending champion Mickelson.

Spending the day at Poppy Hills, Mickelson’s 67 was typically adventurous, with eight birdies and an eagle, plus three bogeys and a double bogey. He had only five pars.

Watney, a 24-year-old qualifying school graduate from 2005, eagled the second hole and birdied the 18th at Pebble Beach. He could have credited local knowledge. Besides going to school at Fresno State, Watney won last November’s Callaway Invitational, an unofficial off-season event, shooting a four-under 68 at Pebble on the last day.

“Without the wind, there is not so much defense,” Watney said.

The same is true at Poppy Hills, where Oberholser shot 31 on the front and said he played as steady as he could. He went to school at San Jose State and knows the drill at all three courses in this tournament.

“I really don’t have any fear of any golf shots on any of these golf courses because I’ve hit them all,” he said.

Weir, the 2003 Masters champion, was winless last year and fell to 56th on the money list, but he said he has been working hard on adjustments in his grip and setup. His intent is to get his club in a better position at the top of his swing.

Maybe that will help him today when he takes on the notorious weakling, Poppy Hills. But Watney warned that reputations are sometimes deceiving.

“Things can go haywire at any second,” he said.