Thursday
Aug202009
Say hey for Jay
Thursday, August 20, 2009 at 11:10PM
Friday, September 5, 2008
Writing from Town and Country, Mo.
The home town boy did himself proud on Friday.
Jay Williamson, a St. Louisan who is a member of Bellerive Country Club, scored 2-under-par 68 on his home course in the first round and stands tied for 12th after the first round of the 105th Western Open, a.k.a. the BMW Championship.
Williamson didn't want to talk about himself after his round. He beat the drum for the grounds crew who whipped a soggy golf course into shape in less than 24 hours.
"I'm really proud of the people that got this golf course together," Williamson said. "The first putt I hit this morning went 10 feet past the hole on the putting green."
The crowd was similarly enthralled with Williamson. Playing partners John Mallinger and Martin Laird received polite applause for good shots and dropped putts. For Williamson, a hockey game broke out.
"I'm sure the guys I was playing with – they got tired of hearing it," Williamson said. "Like I said, it was great support. I don't know what I expected from the crowd, but they certainly exceeded my expectations today."
The numbers game: Bellerive played just under par on a day with "lift, clean and place" in effect, the field averaging 69.725 strokes on the par-70 layout. Billed as a 7,386 yards test, the course played at 7,294 yards on Friday, PGA Tour officials moving several tees up, especially on the third, 10th and 16th holes. But the fourth hole, listed as a 490-yard par 4, actually played as a 510-yarder, a long slog of a dogleg.
Even moved up to the members tee at 482 yards rather than the advertised 515 yards, the par-4 10th still played toughest, at 4.435 strokes. Then again, it is a par 5 for the members. The day's pushover hole was the par-5 eighth, at 4.551 strokes.
It's the second straight year, and fourth in the last seven, that the field in the Western played the first round under par. Last year was the first under the limited field format of the PGA Tour's playoffs.
Saturday's plan: It's a 36-hole grind, with threesomes off the first and 10th tees and no re-pairing between rounds. On television, NBC covers the action from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., with the Golf Channel taking over then and staying at Bellerive until the conclusion. The final threesome of Camilo Villegas, Steve Stricker and Kenny Perry tee off No. 1 at 8:50 a.m. in Round 2, and off No. 10 at 2:20 p.m. in Round 3. If the round lasts about 4 ½ hours, that means a 7:50 p.m. finish.
FYI: Chicagoland representatives Kevin Streelman and Mark Wilson scored 70 and 69, respectively. … John Merrick had the high score on a hole, a quadruple-bogey 8 on the par 3 sixth. A tee shot and third shot into the water, plus a fifth shot finding a bunker, brought on the snowman. … On the plus side, Dean Wilson eagled the par-4 12th hole, holing out from 186 yards distant in the fairway. He scored 1-under 69. … This year marks the 100th anniversary of the first Western Open played in St. Louis. Willie Anderson won the third of his four Western titles at Normandie Country Club in June of 1908. He was the head pro at Onwentsia Club in Lake Forest then, but his play prompted members of the St. Louis Country Club to lure him there for the 1909 season. … The gallery estimate of 25,000 totals the number of tickets sold per round in season packages, the only offering the WGA made this year. Saturday and Sunday, the crowds should increase, because fans with Thursday tickets will be able to use them.
– Tim Cronin
Writing from Town and Country, Mo.
The home town boy did himself proud on Friday.
Jay Williamson, a St. Louisan who is a member of Bellerive Country Club, scored 2-under-par 68 on his home course in the first round and stands tied for 12th after the first round of the 105th Western Open, a.k.a. the BMW Championship.
Williamson didn't want to talk about himself after his round. He beat the drum for the grounds crew who whipped a soggy golf course into shape in less than 24 hours.
"I'm really proud of the people that got this golf course together," Williamson said. "The first putt I hit this morning went 10 feet past the hole on the putting green."
The crowd was similarly enthralled with Williamson. Playing partners John Mallinger and Martin Laird received polite applause for good shots and dropped putts. For Williamson, a hockey game broke out.
"I'm sure the guys I was playing with – they got tired of hearing it," Williamson said. "Like I said, it was great support. I don't know what I expected from the crowd, but they certainly exceeded my expectations today."
The numbers game: Bellerive played just under par on a day with "lift, clean and place" in effect, the field averaging 69.725 strokes on the par-70 layout. Billed as a 7,386 yards test, the course played at 7,294 yards on Friday, PGA Tour officials moving several tees up, especially on the third, 10th and 16th holes. But the fourth hole, listed as a 490-yard par 4, actually played as a 510-yarder, a long slog of a dogleg.
Even moved up to the members tee at 482 yards rather than the advertised 515 yards, the par-4 10th still played toughest, at 4.435 strokes. Then again, it is a par 5 for the members. The day's pushover hole was the par-5 eighth, at 4.551 strokes.
It's the second straight year, and fourth in the last seven, that the field in the Western played the first round under par. Last year was the first under the limited field format of the PGA Tour's playoffs.
Saturday's plan: It's a 36-hole grind, with threesomes off the first and 10th tees and no re-pairing between rounds. On television, NBC covers the action from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., with the Golf Channel taking over then and staying at Bellerive until the conclusion. The final threesome of Camilo Villegas, Steve Stricker and Kenny Perry tee off No. 1 at 8:50 a.m. in Round 2, and off No. 10 at 2:20 p.m. in Round 3. If the round lasts about 4 ½ hours, that means a 7:50 p.m. finish.
FYI: Chicagoland representatives Kevin Streelman and Mark Wilson scored 70 and 69, respectively. … John Merrick had the high score on a hole, a quadruple-bogey 8 on the par 3 sixth. A tee shot and third shot into the water, plus a fifth shot finding a bunker, brought on the snowman. … On the plus side, Dean Wilson eagled the par-4 12th hole, holing out from 186 yards distant in the fairway. He scored 1-under 69. … This year marks the 100th anniversary of the first Western Open played in St. Louis. Willie Anderson won the third of his four Western titles at Normandie Country Club in June of 1908. He was the head pro at Onwentsia Club in Lake Forest then, but his play prompted members of the St. Louis Country Club to lure him there for the 1909 season. … The gallery estimate of 25,000 totals the number of tickets sold per round in season packages, the only offering the WGA made this year. Saturday and Sunday, the crowds should increase, because fans with Thursday tickets will be able to use them.
– Tim Cronin
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