WGC Cadillac First Round Highlights and Thoughts 2012

What struck me most about the first day of the Championship was that so many players still were in this one at the end. There was a point early in the day when it looked like Scott or Stricker were going to put some real distance between themselves and the competition. I count thirty one players currently within six shots of the lead, including Tiger and Phil, who were even par for the day.

Both these superstars struggled, though. There were a couple of times when it looked like Phil would blow up and put up a really big number. He fought back, though, and got it to even. The opposite seemed to me to be true of Tiger. There were times when I thought he might go low, but with putting and inaccurate irons, he failed to capitalize. He too was even.

Dufner is back. I haven’t heard of a whisper from him since the PGA Championship. I wonder if he’s looking over his shoulder at Bradley, who is just three shots behind. I know that I’d hear footsteps.

The mystery man in a T5 right now is Juvic Pagunsan. He’s from the Philippines and plays on the Asian Tour, where he has one victory. He won the Asian Tour money title in 2011. TO my knowledge, he’s not played in a major, and this is his first WGC event.