The World Cup of Golf is being held this week at Royal Melbourne on the far southeastern coast of Australia.
Thomas Bjorn continued to impress, posting a first round five-under par 66 that is good enough to be tied with American Kevin Streelman for the top spot on the leaderboard.
Bjorn finished the season ranked No. 10 on the European Tour’s Race to Dubai. Evidently he is trying to get a good head start on qualifying for the European Ryder Cup team next season.
Bjorn is teamed with fellow Dane, Thorbjorn Olesen this week at the World Cup. Olesen posted a first-round even-par 71, which puts the team at five-under after the first day.
Streelman is teamed with Matt Kuchar, who posted an even-par 71 on Thursday. The Americans are tied with the Danish team of Bjorn/Olesen at five-under par.
K.J. Choi, Martin Laird and Stuart Manley are tied for third at four-under par.
Aussie Jason Day is solo sixth at three-under par. His partner Adam Scott played well for 17 holes, but the par-4 No. 12 proved to be his nemesis on Thursday.
Scott, who has won the last two consecutive events in Australia, including the Talisker Masters just last week on this same Royal Melbourne golf course, posted a five-over par nine on No. 12.
Hackers everywhere should take solace in the fact, even the best golfers in the world struggle occasionally.
After hitting successive drives into a bush bordering the right rough, he finally found the fairway with his third drive (fifth shot). His sixth shot, however, rolled over the back of the green and it took him three more shots to find the cup.
Scott has been playing at such a high level of golf since his win at the Masters last April. It is unusual to see him falter on a golf course he knows so well.
“The Golf Gods giveth and the Golf Gods taketh away.”
Royal Melbourne is playing extremely firm and fast. The wide forgiving fairways allow players to hit away from the tee, but severely undulating greens and deep bunkers await errant approach shots.
Royal Melbourne opened in 1931, is a Dr. Alister MacKenzie design and is always ranked as one of the ten best golf courses in the world.
Graeme McDowell has been one of the most consistent golfers over the past four years, but had his ups and downs this season. He had another topsy-turvy round on Thursday at the World Cup.
McDowell’s one-over par 72 included an eagle-two at the par-4 ninth, five birdies, six pars, four bogeys, two double-bogeys and a partridge in a pear tree. His inconsistent first round at Royal Melbourne is definitely not what you would expect from a former U.S. Open Champion that successfully found fairways and greens over a very difficult Pebble Beach in 2010.
Pebble Beach and Royal Melbourne share certain characteristics and both were designed by MacKenzie.
The second round of the World Cup will continue on Friday and can be seen live on the Golf Channel 4:30-7:30 AM ET.