U.S. Open champion Lucas Glover recovered from an opening double
bogey by going 9-under par in nine holes and finishing with a
tap-in birdie for a 7-under 66 and a one-shot lead in the
season-opening SBS Championship on Thursday.
The last time Glover qualified for this U.S. PGA Tour
winners-only tournament, he began his season with four straight
bogeys. This time, he hit a weak 4-iron that disappeared into the
native shrubs and led to a double bogey.
"I was aiming 25 feet left of the hole and hit it 25 feet to
the right,'' he said. "I got what I deserved.''
He made up for it in a big way.
Glover, who made only two eagles in 26 tournaments last year,
made two in a five-hole span on the Plantation Course at Kapalua
that turned his fortunes quickly. He then made four straight
birdies to open the back nine, and took the outright lead with a
pitch from just short of the 18th green that trickled to inside a
foot from the cup.
Nathan Green of Australia and Martin Laird of Scotland, among
seven players making their debuts at Kapalua, joined Dustin Johnson
and Nick Watson at 67. British Open champion Stewart Cink and
Masters champion Angel Cabrera were among those at 68.
Defending champion Geoff Ogilvy had a 69.
The wind finally switched to its normal direction - the
trades - and it was mild enough to make scoring relatively easy.
Heath Slocum (75) and Mark Wilson (74) were the only players over
par in the 28-man field.
The key to Glover's success last year, when he won the U.S.
Open at Bethpage Black, was to not be so hard on himself. He was
tested immediately with his double bogey, and it didn't bother him
in the least.
``I knew there were a lot of birdies,'' he said. ``I saw some
scores early and I knew guys were making birdies, and if I played
well, I could get something going. So just don't rush anything. Be
patient.''
The birdies and eagles came quickly.
It started with a 6-iron to the par-5 fifth to 18 feet for
eagle, followed by a drive down the hill to the front of the sixth
green for a simple up-and-down for birdie. Then came a 3-wood into
30 feet on the par-5 ninth, and the longest putt of his round, a
35-footer across the 11th green for a birdie.
And it could have been even better.
His birdie streak on the back nine ended at the 14th, where
he drove to the front of the green. He chipped weakly to 8 feet and
missed the putt. On the next hole, Glover missed a 3-foot birdie
putt, and he three-putted from about 15 feet above the hole on the
16th.
It still added to a 66, and Glover felt as though he played
that well.
