Furyk, Els share Mercedes' lead
By Ann Miller
Advertiser Staff Writer
KAPALUA, Maui — On an idyllic day when the Kapalua Plantation Course was placid beyond recognition, a couple of very recognizable golfers soared into first at the Mercedes Championships.
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Jim Furyk and Ernie Els, who share a history of success here, shot 9-under-par 64s yesterday to share the opening round lead in the PGA Tour's first 2003 event. They were one off the course record but hardly separated themselves from the elite field of 36.
Jim Furyk chips to the 18th green in the first round of the Mercedes Championships.
Chris Riley, Gene Sauers and Jerry Kelly, who will defend his Sony Open in Hawai'i championship next week, are a shot back. Shigeki Maruyama and Bob Estes are two behind. Everyone else is lurking while it waits for the vaunted Kapalua wind to blow.
The highest score yesterday was Len Mattiace's 75. He, Jose Maria Olazabal and PGA Champion Rich Beem were the only players over par. The average score was 69.361 — lowest in the five years this tournament has been here.
"It was a nice day for guys out there," Els said. "I think it's going to blow before the week is over. It can't stay like this. It's impossible."
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Els laughed out loud. Furyk, who lives here part of the year, was in shock.
Defending champion Sergio Garcia tracks his shot on the third tee.
"This is about as good as the conditions get," he said with a grin. "The course is in great shape, better shape than I've ever seen it and it's not even close. ...The wind laid down for us today, made it possible to go out and shoot low scores."
Furyk won here in 2001. He is the only golfer to play in all five Mercedes Championships at Kapalua and has never been out of the Top 10. He also won the 1995 Lincoln-Mercury Kapalua International and paid for part of his imposing house on the Plantation's 18th fairway with $1,232,800 won on its usually windswept slopes. His 1996 Hawaiian Open championship helped with landscaping.
Yesterday, Furyk played bogey-free golf, throwing an eagle in at the ninth to complement seven birdies. He actually let a few get away, missing two putts from within 10 feet and playing the par-5s on the back in even-par. But he also launched in a 40-footer on the 17th hole.
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"Hit a bad shot at 18 and hung my second shot right at 15, which is going to happen," said Furyk, who had nine Top-10 finishes in 2002. "Hit a good pitch to about six or seven feet and missed that one. I missed another short putt on the front. I hit it in there about six or seven feet.
Jerry Kelly, who trails by a shot, just missed a birdie on the second hole.
"You can always look back and say I missed a few, but I also made a bomb. That's the way it goes."
Els missed just one, yanking his drive on the par-3 eighth into the hazard and taking double bogey.
"I wanted to hit a little drifter and just hung on to it left," Els said, shaking his head. "My favorite shot. It was just a mental error."
It was the only blight in the day's most intriguing round. Els caught Furyk by playing the final seven holes in 6 under, leaving a putt for what would have been his third eagle inches short on the last hole.
"I was bordering on the edge of getting a little frustrated after 11 because I had a good start," Els said. "I made a big mistake on eight ... and didn't birdie 10 and 11, which was really playing short.
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"I had a little pitch to the green on 12, hit it a little bit long, about 12, 14 feet past the hole. I made a good putt there and felt good after that, a bit more relaxed. I didn't feel like I needed to push."
K.J. Choi of Seoul watches his putt for eagle come up short on the 18th green of the Plantation Course during first-round play of the Mercedes Championships at Kapalua, Maui.
Els has had his share of heartache here. He lost a memorable playoff with Tiger Woods in 2000 and was admittedly "outplayed" by Furyk the final day a year later. That became his first winless season since 1994. He came back with a vengeance last year, winning four times around the world including the British Open.
Normally, Kapalua plays a little like a blustery British course. Even the 18 first-time winners from last year, who were getting their first real look at the Plantation, know the wind will be out to get them eventually.
"I've watched this tournament on TV, waiting to go to Hawai'i," said Jonathan Byrd, the 2002 Rookie of the Year. "I've never seen it like it played today. Usually the flag sticks are hitting the greens or something. It was not really what I expected. It was there for the taking today."
SHORT PUTTS: David Duval (1999) and Mike Weir (2002) hold the tournament and course record of 63. ... Charles Howell III's streak of rounds in the 60's ended at 16 yesterday when he shot even-par 73. ... Yesterday was only the third time the average scored dipped below 70 since the tournament moved here in 1999. ... Sergio Garcia, who turned 23 yesterday, is the only player in the field born in the 80's. ... Ernie Els' average score on the four par-5 holes was 3.50. He had two of the day's five eagles and needed just 27 putts. ... More than half the field shot in the 60's. ... Chris Riley also opened last year's Sony Open with 65 and shared the lead with Kenny Perry. He finished 13th. Riley tied for seventh at Waialae Country Club in his first start as a rookie in 1999.
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