Scott Piercy began the week as the last guy to get in the 30-man field, so his odds of winning the FedEx Cup are poor. But winning The Tour Championship would be a nice consolation prize.
Piercy shot a first-round 67, leaving him one shot off the lead. It could have been even better; Piercy was 5 under going to the last hole and made a double-bogey. His round was highlighted by three consecutive birdies on Nos. 14-16.
“My chances of winning [the FedEx Cup] are slim to none, and I think Slim’s about to leave the building,” Piercy said. “If I win, I finish second [in the FedEx Cup]. It’s still $1.5 million for first place and another $3 million for the FedEx, so I’ll take $4.5 million. That would be sweet.”
Piercy got hot late in the summer and won the Canadian Open, his second PGA Tour victory.
Lefty in contention
Don't count out Phil Mickelson after a first-round 69.
Mickelson’s uneven opening round included four birdies and three bogeys for his 1-under effort, which left him in a pack of six players who are three shots off the lead.
In 2009 Mickelson appeared to be out of it after a first-round 73 left him tied for 26th, seven shots behind leader Sean O'Hair. Mickelson finished with rounds of 67-66-65 and won by three shots.
Here all week
Maybe somebody should send an audition tape of Zach Johnson to the Punch Line comedy club.
Johnson was asked about his chances to win The Tour Championship after his first-round 68 left him tied for seventh.
“I have no idea,” Johnson said. “The nice thing is, one, I made the cut. And two, I’ll probably finish in the top 30.”
There is no cut this week, and there are only 30 players in the field.
When it comes to getting a little respect, Johnson does. He won twice this year and will play in the Ryder Cup next week.
By the numbers
The 18 players who shot below 70 matched last year’s number, but was far from the low of 24 who accomplished the feat in 2007. The average is 12 in the dozen years the tournament has been at East Lake.
The toughest hole Thursday was the No. 5, a 520-yard par 4. The average score there was 4.4. The hole yielded only one birdie, that from Sergio Garcia, and squeezed a triple-bogey out of Nick Watney.
The easiest hole was No. 16, the 525-yard downhill par 5. The average score there was 4.467. It gave up 15 birdies and an eagle to Hunter Mahan.
Ribs for the caddies
The staff at East Lake is ready to show some love to the PGA Tour caddies. The club has always provided meals for the caddies, but Saturday they're again taking it up a level. For the second year, Chad Parker, the club's head PGA professional, will smoke ribs for the guys who carry the clubs and rake the bunkers.
“It’s just a way for us to show our appreciation to them,” Parker said.
Parker competes with his friend and PGA Tour member Stewart Cink in national barbecue competitions. Cink made a connection with Fox Brothers Barbecue, a legendary Little Five Points establishment, to borrow an industrial-sized cooker. The East Lake kitchen will prepare the ribs, and Parker will put them on the cooker. Each of the 35 racks will require about three hours.
The first tee
The ceremonial first tee shot was struck by longtime East Lake member Charlie Harrison, 81, who recalled how he won a junior tournament at the club 68 years ago. Harrison, the 1959 Georgia Amateur champion, grew up in the East Lake community and was instrumental in starting the First Tee at East Lake. Harrison, elected to the Georgia Golf Hall of Fame in 1991, still gives lessons at nearby Charlie Yates Golf Course.
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