KAPALUA, Hawaii. — American Nick Watney benefited from a
late stumble by compatriot Brandt Snedeker to snatch a one-shot lead in the
Mercedes-Benz Championship first round on Thursday.
Making his debut in the winners-only event, Watney upstaged
some of the biggest names in the game by firing a five-under-par 68 on the
hilly Plantation Course at the Kapalua Resort.
The 26-year-old Californian piled up six birdies, his last
with a 30-foot putt on the 17th to take the outright lead, against a lone bogey
in blustery, wet conditions to take charge of the 2008 PGA Tour’s opening
event.
"I putted very well and I kept it really simple," Watney
said after ending the day a stroke in front of Swede Daniel Chopra.
"I just hit to a lot of the middle of the greens and tried
to take what they gave me.
"It was a very steady day and I’m very pleased but, at the
same time, it’s the first day of the first tournament of the year, so we’ve got
a long ways to go."
Australian Aaron Baddeley birdied four of the last five
holes for a 70, matching US Open champion Angel Cabrera and American Jonathan
Byrd in the tournament which brings together the title-holders from the
previous PGA Tour season.
Snedeker, battling to shrug off a lingering bout of flu,
dropped three shots in the last two holes for a 71 to finish level with 2003
Masters champion Mike Weir.
Canadian Stephen Ames, who struck the opening drive of the
season, American left-hander Steve Flesch and South African Rory Sabbatini were
a further stroke back after carding 72s.
Snedeker, the 2007 PGA Tour rookie of the year, had led by a
stroke before running up a double-bogey six on the 17th after missing the
fairway to the left off the tee with a cracked driver.
Forced to use his three-wood twice on the 663-yard par-five
last, he signed off with a bogey after three-putting.
"It’s the first time it’s ever happened to me," the
27-year-old from Tennessee said, referring to his damaged driver.
"I’ve had it for a long time and I guess it just probably
said: ‘Mercy.’ It’s been two years I’ve had it in my bag.
"I hit a good drive on 17, I ripped it up and thought it
would be right in the middle of the fairway but it ended up in the middle of
the hazard. It went only about 180 yards. I guess it’s just one of those things
which happens."
Snedeker had booked his place in the elite field of 31 at
Kapalua with his maiden Tour victory in the Wyndham Championship in August.
Among the big names, world No. 3 Jim Furyk and defending
champion Vijay Singh opened with 74s.
Masters champion Zach Johnson battled to a 76 while fellow American Paul
Goydos propped up the leaderboard with an ugly 81.
