ORLANDO, Fla. — In their own way, ex-Wildcat Jason Gore and Tiger Woods changed their fortunes Thursday at Bay Hill.
Gore was not seeing any results from an overhaul to his swing until he ran off three birdies over the final four holes for a 5-under 65 that gave him a one-shot lead in the Arnold Palmer Invitational.
Woods was in the water, in the trees and in a foul mood until he had eight consecutive one-putts — including four straight birdies — that put him in a good frame of mind with a 68 on a course where he has won five times.
"I was not hitting it well, and I had to scramble and grind it out and manage to score," Woods said. He managed just fine, taking only 24 putts in the first round, after ranking 74th in putting out of 79 players at Doral two weeks ago.
Tim Herron, who won Bay Hill in a playoff 10 years ago, and Jeff Overton had a 66, while the group at 67 included the ever-present Nick Watney and Mark Wilson, who had reason to feel outclassed on the first tee but more than held his own.
People are also reading…
Wilson was in the same group as Woods and Padraig Harrington, who have won five of the last six majors. Wilson has his own history with Woods, having lost a late lead in 1992 when Woods rallied to win his second U.S. Junior Amateur.
But Wilson had the best day of the threesome. Harrington saved par from the water on the 18th for a 70.
"Scored best of the three," Wilson said, a slight distinction. "I had a good time out there. I love playing with Tiger. The electricity and the energy on that first tee is something else with him."
Imagine the surge on the opening hole when Woods had a difficult flop shot from about 30 yards that had to carry a bunker. Wilson wondered if Woods might begin his title defense at Bay Hill with a double bogey.
Then he watched Woods' shot pitch about 6 feet from the hole and roll like a putt into the cup for a birdie.
Woods hit a tee shot into the water at No. 6 for a double bogey, was lucky to escape with pars at the turn, and made four birdies on the back nine to get off to a good start.
The only other player at Bay Hill with such charisma is Palmer, the tournament host.
Gore can attest to that.
He was 11 when his family went to Pittsburgh one summer and Gore had his mother drive him to Latrobe Country Club. They walked into the pro shop and asked if the King was around, and before long, Palmer drove up in a cart that looked like a tractor.
"He took a picture with us, signed a scorecard and he said, 'Son, I'm going to go hit balls. Would you like to come watch?'" Gore said. "I sat right on the little slope right behind the first tee and watched Mr. Palmer hit balls for about 45 minutes. And from that point on, I knew I wanted to be a professional golfer."
Gore told Palmer last year at a corporate outing how much he had influenced his life. When he saw him earlier this month at Seminole, he thanked Palmer for the exemption. Palmer winked at him and replied, "I never forgot that story."
"The littlest things he does for a punk dressed in surf clothes, who was trespassing on his property, changes lives," Gore said. "He's got that power, and that's what makes him the King. And that's why he's the greatest person to this game."
LPGA Tour
PHOENIX — In-Kyung Kim shot a 4-under 68 to take the first-round lead in the Phoenix International, and two-time defending champion Lorena Ochoa and Michelle Wie struggled in windy conditions.
Kim had a one-stroke lead over Jiyai Shin, Imbee Park, Eun-Hee Ji and Cristie Kerr, who eagled the final hole, and Suzann Pettersen, who finished with a birdie.
Ochoa, an ex-Wildcat standout, showed anger at times over her disappointments. She opened with a 72 at Papago, the recently renovated, difficult municipal layout in its first year as the tournament site, after five seasons at Superstition Mountain.
Wie, a 19-year-old Stanford sophomore still seeking her first tour victory, shot a 73 in her first tournament since the season opener.
European Tour
SEVILLE, Spain — Colin Montgomerie celebrated his 500th European Tour event with a 5-under 67, leaving him a stroke behind Chris Doak after the first round of the Andalucia Open.
Doak had a bogey-free 66 on the Real Club de Golf de Sevilla course. Montgomerie was tied with Steven O'Hara, Jean-Francois Lucquin and Juan Parron.
