Troy Matteson grabs first-round lead in Buick Invitational; Tiger Woods two back

From WorldGolf.com News Services

Troy Matteson came into the 2008 PGA Tour season looking to get off to a "hot start."

So far, so good.

Matteson shot a 7-under-par 65 Thursday on the South Course at Torrey Pines in La Jolla, Calif., to take a one-shot lead over Brad Adamonis, who carded a 66 on the Torrey Pines North Course. Three-time defending champion Tiger Woods, who also played the more difficult South Course, is tied with Stuart Appleby, Rory Sabbatini and Kevin Streelman at 5-under 67.

Matteson, who tied for eighth in his first start of the year at the Sony Open in Hawaii, climbed to the top of the leaderboard thanks to a closing stretch where he made five birdies in his final six holes. After three consecutive birdies on holes 13-15, Matteson finished birdie-birdie to shoot 31 coming in.

"Just playing well here and getting off to a great start here means a lot for me because the South Course is so difficult," Matteson said in his post-round press conference. "Most of us come in hoping to shoot 1 or 2 under on the South Course or shoot even, sometimes - that's a good number - and today we were able to get away with a few more."

With his stellar round, Matteson became the first player since Davis Love III in 2000 to lead the tournament after playing the South Course in the first round. The South Course is approximately 600 yards longer than the North and played more than two strokes easier on Thursday.

How good was shooting 7 under on the South Course?

"For me I probably won't top that for a while," Matteson said. "Like I said, it's typically a golf course where most guys are just thinking if I can shoot even, 1 under, 2 under and then go to the North Course and really make up my numbers there. That's kind of your tournament.

"Guys can shoot 8, 9, 10 under on the North Course and then shoot 6 under for the week. So we're looking forward to going to that North Course after playing this one."

Woods, who had difficulties off the tee, had mixed feelings about his round. He got to 6-under after making his sixth and final birdie of the day at No. 15, but promptly gave the shot back with a bogey at the 16th.

"I think overall I just scored well," Woods told reporters. "I didn't drive it very good at all today. Whether it was 5-wood, 3-wood or driver, I didn't drive it very good at all.

"I hit my irons pretty good, and I made some putts. I didn't have the speed of the greens early, kept running them by, but after a few holes figured that out, and from then on hit a lot of good putts."

Woods was making his first start of 2008. He last played competitively in mid-December, when he won the Target World Challenge by seven strokes.

Like Matteson, Woods said he's looking for even better things in Friday's second round, when he gets a chance to play the easier North Course. He added that there was at least some satisfaction in his ability to score on the South's layout, which will be the site for this year's U.S. Open.

"Shooting 67 always is going to feel pretty good on the South Course," Woods said. "It was actually pretty interesting today because a lot of pins were in the back and these greens were so soft. Every ball is just ripping back. You hit just little ones — 120-yard, 115-yard 9-irons, and they're still ripping back 10, 15 feet.

"It was a little bit of a test out there, but [I] just had to keep patient."

Phil Mickelson, also playing his first tournament of the year, opened with a 2-under 70 on the North Course.

Woods and Mickelson weren't the only ones returning to action Thursday. Golf Channel anchor Kelly Tilghman was back on the air after serving a two-week suspension for her "lynch" comment about Woods. Tilghman taped an apology that was aired at the opening of TGC's coverage.

January 25, 2008