O'Hern leads after 1st round at Frys.com Open

Brandishing a hot putter on a warm afternoon, Australian Nick O'Hern cruised to a career-low 63 and the first-round lead in the Frys.com Open on Thursday.

O'Hern, who finished at 7 under, putted only nine times while posting a 28 on the par-35 back nine at Grayhawk Golf Club. Eight of O'Hern's nine birdies came in that stretch.

"Pretty scary," O'Hern said. "I've never done that before. I was pretty happy."

Bob Heintz and Heath Slocum were a stroke back at 64, and D.A. Points, Rory Sabbatini, Greg Owen and Rickie Fowler shot 65s.

Fred Couples, who captained the United States to victory in the Presidents Cup earlier this month, shot a 67 in his first tour round in seven weeks.

With little wind on an 82-degree day in the desert, scores fell as players attacked Grayhawk's Raptor Course.

Scores may keep dropping for the rest of the week. Temperatures are expected to reach the high 80s in each of the final three rounds.

"It's like playing indoors," said Paul Goydos, who shot a 66 to finish in a 15-way tie for eighth place. "The weather is too good. I would expect you're going to see a pretty bunched leaderboard all week."

Indeed, O'Hern had to shoot the round of his life to eke out a one-stroke lead.

O'Hern may best be known as the first player to beat Tiger Woods twice in match play as a professional. The short-hitting lefty from Australian beat the world's No. 1 in the Accenture Match Play Championship in 2005 and in 2007, and fans haven't forgotten.

"A lot of people don't know my name," O'Hern said. "Hey, that's the guy that beat Tiger twice."

O'Hern probably could have taken Woods down again on Thursday — at least on the back nine.

O'Hern hit the turn at even par, then caught fire. He birdied six straight holes before bogeying the par-3 16th when his tee shot rolled off the bank of the green and into the water.

"It wasn't actually a bad shot, but the result was bad," O'Hern said.

He recovered to birdie the final two holes.

His longest putts were a 48-footer on the par-4 12th and a 20-footer on the par-4 17th.

O'Hern has never won a PGA Tour event, and he missed the cut in nine of his first 25 tournaments this year. O'Hern struggled to bounce back from offseason surgery on his left thumb and his right knee.

"That kind of held my progress back at the start of the year," O'Hern said. "I had a bit of a late start."

Heintz, also winless on the tour, missed the cut in eight of his first 18 starts this year.

Heintz professed not to know that he was 171st on the money list — and it's not because he struggles with numbers. Heintz graduated from Yale with a degree in economics in 1992.

"If I was over $1 million, I would look at it every day and smile," Heintz said. "But you know, when you're where I am, I don't think it really helps you to."

The Frys.com Open has a $5 million purse, with the winner taking home $900,000.

Couples said he decided to play in the tournament partly because his girlfriend, Julie, lives in the area, and also because it wasn't far from his home in Palm Springs.

"My whole thought process was just, I live four hours from here in Palm Springs, I might as well drive over here and play," Couples said.

Thursday's round was Couples' first tour appearance since he missed the cut in the Deutsche Bank Championship in September.

Couples wasn't sure how he'd shoot after the long layoff, but he birdied five holes in a six-hole stretch to play his way into contention.

"I'm absolutely thrilled with my round today," Couples said. "I have a shot at playing better than I thought going into Friday."

FIRST ROUND AT A GLANCE

Leader: Nick O’Hern’s ridiculous back nine at the Grayhawk Golf Club has given him the first-round lead at the Frys.Com Open. The Australian made eight birdies and had just nine putts on the back nine Thursday to shoot a 7-under-par 63. It’s good for a one-stroke lead over Bob Heintz and Heath Slocum.

Moving up: After making the turn at 1-over-par, Charley Hoffman birdied four of his final seven holes to get into the first-round mix at 3-under-par 67.

Moving out: Midway through Thursday’s first round the leader was Kevin Streelman who was at 7-under-par through 11 holes. He played his final seven holes in 7-over-par to finish at even-par 70. His day included a triple bogey seven on the sixth hole.

Shot of the day: On his second hole of the day, the par-5 11th hole, Rory Sabbatini holed a 36-yard chip shot to the cup to make eagle. The quick start helped the South African to a round of 5-under-par 65.

The defender: 2008 Frys.Com Champion Cameron Beckman had an average start this year’s event with an even-par round of 70 on Thursday.

Key second-round pairings: Ryan Moore, Charley Hoffman, Rory Sabbatini, 7:16 a.m.; Nick O’Hern, David Duval, Tim Petrovic, 6:45 a.m.; Mike Weir, Justin Leonard, Bo Van Pelt, 7:16 a.m.

Jeff Simon, For the Tribune

IF YOU GO

TICKETS
Daily general admission tickets can be purchased at the main entrance at Grayhawk Golf Club and at Van’s Golf Shop locations in the Valley. Cost is $25 per day, or $50 for the week. With a weekly purchase, you also get two one-day tickets to the FBR Open in February.

PARKING
Free parking is available on the southwest corner of Hayden Road and the Loop 101, with free shuttle access to the tournament gates. There is no parking available on or near the tournament grounds. Shuttles will operate Wednesday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., Thursday and Friday from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.; and on Saturday and Sunday from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.

FRY’S VIP DAY
Anyone showing a Fry’s Food Stores VIP shopper’s card at the main entrance on Wednesday will be admitted free. The Fry’s.com Open Pro-Am takes place on Wednesday.

FREE LESSONS
The Southwest Section PGA will be offering complimentary 5-minute golf lessons to spectators. The SWSPGA site is located on the Talon practice facility, next to the tournament’s main entrance.

16TH HOLE
In an effort to capture some of the magic that exists on the famed 16th hole of the FBR Open, the Frys.com Open will feature two new hospitality venues on its 16th hole. O’Donoghue’s Irish Pub hospitality tent is a raised venue with views of the 16th green and is open to the public. The VIP Paddy O’ Furniture tent requires a $75 ticket that is good for complimentary food and beverage.

GOLF ETIQUETTE 101
Stay quiet and stand still when golfers are about to hit the ball. Booing is inappropriate. For your own safety, follow the directions of tournament marshals. Spectators will be removed immediately without warning for: refusal to obey quiet signs or signals; distracting or embarrassing a golfer; making rude, vulgar or other inappropriate comments or gestures toward a golfer; cheering or booing at inappropriate times.

MUST-HAVE ITEMS
Sunscreen, hat, comfortable shoes and binoculars.

DON’T BRING
Officials ask that you do not bring the following items to the tournament site: weapons; cell phones; pagers; purses or other containers larger than 6-by-6-by-6; cameras; beverages (except sealed bottled water and special drinks, such as baby formula); food items (unless pre-prepared in clear bags and carried by hand in a plastic grocery style bag; sliced fruit will be allowed).

HAVE A PLAN
There are basically two ways to watch a golf tournament: “parade style,” where you pick a spot and watch the field pass by, or “cross-country style,” where you follow a particular player or group around the course. Arrive early to reserve a spot, especially if you plan on watching the tournament parade style. Thursday and Friday, groups are simultaneously started on the first and 10th tees. Most people watch the action on the back nine, which may give you the opportunity to get a better view of the players on the front nine.

DAILY PAIRING
Daily pairing sheets let you know when players tee off and the order of the groups, and include a course map. They are available in the expo area near the Grayhawk clubhouse and at various locations on the course. The pros will play in threesomes all four days of the tournament. One way to tell the players from a distance is to look for their caddies, who wear vests that have color-coded pockets and trim (red, white or black), which will be indicated on the daily pairing sheet.

AUTOGRAPHS
Golfers are more receptive to requests for autographs after they have completed their round, so don’t interrupt them before or during their round. PGA Tour guidelines do not allow players to sign autographs during their competitive round. A good place to catch them is at the practice area, as most players will return there after finishing their round.

FOOD & SOUVENIRS
Concession stands are located throughout the tournament grounds. For lunch or dinner, visit Michael’s Food Court. Souvenirs can be found at the Grayhawk Golf Shop, located inside the Grayhawk Clubhouse.

WEATHER FORECAST
The foracast all week calls for sunny skies and highs ranging between 84 and 88 degrees.

The Frys.com Open will be televised all four days on the Golf Channel.