First-round notebook – Quail Hollow Championship
* Phil Mickelson, who posted a 5-under-par 67 in the first round, has three top-10s in five trips at the Quail Hollow Championship, including a T3 in 2007. His 67 on Thursday was one off his career low at Quail Hollow, a final-round 66 in 2005.* Phil Mickelson posted just his second bogey-free round at Quail Hollow Club (Round 4, 2004), aided by a miracle up-and-down wedge-putt for par on the 18th after hitting his second shot into an immovable obstruction. The wedge shot from 68 yards was measured at 2 feet, 8 inches.
* Phil Mickelson can take over No. 1 in the Official World Golf Ranking with a victory this week, if Tiger Woods finishes lower than fourth. Woods has been No. 1 for 203 consecutive weeks and No. 1 for 545 weeks in his career.
* Tiger Woods extended his under-par streak at Quail Hollow Club to six rounds with a 7-under-par 65 on Thursday. Making his fourth start at the Quail Hollow Championship, Woods also posted his seventh round in the 60s (in 13 total rounds) and bested his career-low at the event (66, second round, 2004). The 65 was Woods’ best round since an identical second-round 65 at the 2008 Buick Invitational.
* Tiger Woods has won nine of 21 Tournaments when opening with a round of 65 or better. In those events, he has failed to eventually finish in the top-5 just six times.
* The front-nine 6-under-par 30 for Tiger Woods (his final nine) matched the 9-hole front-nine record (Kirk Triplett, 2004, Round 1; Trevor Immelman, 2006, Round 1; Bill Haas, 2006, Round 1; Pat Perez, 2008, Round 3).
* The bogey-free first round for Tiger Woods was his second of 2009 (Round 4, WGC-CA Championship).
* Tiger Woods career results – Quail Hollow Championship
2007 1 70-68-68-69--275 -13
2005 T11 70-72-73-71--286 -2
2004 T3 69-66-75-68--278 -10
* This marks the 24th career first-round lead/co-lead for Tiger Woods on the PGA Tour, having won 13-of-23 previously. See attached document for a look at Woods’ previous leads through 18 holes.
* The only first-round leader/co-leader to go on to win the Quail Hollow Championship was Jim Furyk in 2006, when a first-round 68 was good for a four-way tie with Bill Haas, Rory Sabbatini and Trevor Immelman.
* The first-round leader/co-leader has gone on to win five of 17 stroke-play events on the PGA Tour in 2009, most recently Phil Mickelson at the WGC-CA Championship.
* With a birdie on No. 1 on Thursday, defending champion Anthony Kim is 7-under-par in nine rounds on the hole in his career at the Quail Hollow Championship. En route to victory last year, Kim birdied the first hole all four days. Phil Mickelson (Northern Trust Open) and Tiger Woods (Arnold Palmer Invitational) are the only two players to defend titles in 2009.
* Jason Dufner birdied five of his final six holes (Nos. 4-5-7-8-9) to post a 5-under-par 67 in the first round. Dufner is coming off a T9 at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans.
* Robert Allenby (5-under-par 67) looks to start a new streak after missing the cut at the Verizon Heritage. Allenby had made 33 consecutive cuts dating back prior to the Verizon Heritage, his last MC being the 2007 Sony Open in Hawaii.
* Bogey-free rounds – Round 1 – 2009 Quail Hollow Championship
Tiger Woods 65
Phil Mickelson 67
Robert Allenby 67
Lucas Glover 68
Bo Van Pelt 69
* Quail Hollow Championship past champions -- 2009
Player Year 2009 Round 1 Score (position)
Anthony Kim 2008 70
Tiger Woods 2007 65
Jim Furyk 2006 71
Vijay Singh 2005 76
David Toms 2003 71
* The 18th hole at Quail Hollow Club played most difficult on Thursday, averaging 4.340. The field posted a total of 11 double-bogeys and two “others.”
* Fresh off his win last week at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, Jerry Kelly carded an even-par 72 in Thursday’s first round.
* Bubba Watson’s first-round 71 included a stretch of four consecutive birdies (Nos. 4-7).
* Despite a triple-bogey 7 on the par-4 18th hole (his ninth hole), Sergio Garcia recovered on his final nine to finish at 1-under-par 71.
* Playing on a Sponsor Exemption this week, former Clemson star Charles Warren posted a first-round 69 despite a double-bogey 6 on No. 18. He finished 130th on the Tour money list last year and is playing out of the No. 125-150 category in 2009.
* Jeff Maggert (4-under-par 68) has struggled early this season, with just three made cuts in 10 previous starts. His lone top-10 (T10 at FBR Open) was his first since a T5 at the 2007 U.S. Bank Championship. Last year, Maggert (No. 163) finished outside the top 125 on the PGA Tour money list for the first time in his career, having played the Tour full-time since 1991.
* Withdrawals:
Mark Turnesa withdrew after eight holes during the round due to a neck injury.
Scott McCarron withdrew after nine holes due to injury.
Kevin Na withdrew due after a first-round 78 due to an undisclosed injury.
Brad Adamonis withdrew after eight holes due to a wrist injury.
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