Thursday at Sawgrass

It was a sunny, very warm, and very humid Thursday at TPC Sawgrass. I followed an early group today and was still dripping sweat by the #3! Paul Goydos, J.P. Hayes, and Charl Schwartzel showcased some very different games, but it was fun watching. Some observations:

* In the year since my last trip to Sawgrass, I’d forgotten just how beautiful the course is. I’d also forgotten just how tough it is to walk. For those who haven’t been there, it’s even more beautiful than it looks on TV. It’s also the toughest course I’ve ever walked, with lots of high-grade elevation changes.

* I’m still not sure what to make of Schwartzel. I’d never been terribly impressed with his game (yes, he has wins, but largely in weaker-field events) until Doral. I didn’t see any real flashes of greatness today, though he’s a solid player overall. One thing he does have is a big drive; true, his playing partners aren’t long hitters, but he “outdrove” them with his 3-wood on at least one occasion.

* Goydos proved that a big drive wasn’t a necessity to score well at Sawgrass; his irons were spot-on, putting him closer to the pin than his playing partners on many holes.

* Hayes could have been at least three strokes better today if his putting had cooperated.

* I was admittedly a bit disappointed that none of the three hit the water on 17. The fans around 17 were, too. Perhaps not surprisingly, spectators do have wagers on players as they approach the tee, on whether they’ll find land or not.

* The crowds weren’t as big as I was expecting today. Perhaps that had to do with the position of the group I was following: Phil Mickelson was several groups ahead, and Tiger was in the afternoon wave.

* I was pleased that pace of play wasn’t as much of an issue today as in many recent rounds. There was no waiting until the back nine, and not much after that. While pace did slow toward the end of the round, it seemed to be due more to the increasing heat and humidity than to player backlog.

* The course didn’t seem to have as many “teeth” today, and the low scores bore that out. It will be interesting to see if the scores stay low, or if they go higher as the week goes on.

Tomorrow is not only the second round, it’s also my 35th birthday; plans for festivities are still taking shape, so there may or may not be a “round 2" column tomorrow. So until either tomorrow or Saturday...