Double Masters Champion José Maria Olazábal, of Spain, and England’’s Brian Davis posted opening rounds of 64, eight under par, to share the first round lead of the Ford Championship at Doral with the reigning Masters Champion Phil Mickelson and his fellow American Marco Dawson.
Olazábal, who won the green jacket at Augusta National in 1994 and 1999, birdied his last three holes of the Blue Monster Course at Doral Golf and Country Club, Miama, to top the leaderboard. Davis joined him with three birdies and an eagle on the eighth in a front nine of 31 before picking up three more shots in succession from the 15th to also post a 64.
In a leaderboard packed with quality, Tiger Woods, hoping to regain the World Number One position, lies just a shot off the lead after a 65 while England’’s Paul Casey put together a round of 66 to be well placed after the first round in a share of seventh place. US Open Champion Retief Goosen, of South Africa, is only three adrift after an opening 67, five under par, while the current World Number One, Vijay Singh, of Fiji, Spain’’s Sergio Garcia, Ireland’’s Padraig Harrington and Angel Cabrera of Argentina all lie among the group on 68.
Davis, winner of two titles on The European Tour, is making his name in America having won the US PGA Tour Qualifying School last November and then finishing third in last week’’s Nissan Open in Los Angeles, where he also held the first round lead before the tournament was curtailed to 36 holes with heavy rain. He missed out on the play-off by one stroke.
“I haven’’t been here before,” Davis said. “We arrived on Monday, blowing; Tuesday, blowing; Wednesday it was blowing. I just assumed that’’s the way it would be all week. Obviously it was a little bit down today.”
Olazábal, competing on a sponsor’’s invitation, also did not have a bogey on his card as he chases his 30th title worldwide but first since 2002.
“I’’ve been striking the ball better than last year. I’’ve hit more fairways, and that is very important, obviously,” said Olazábal.
Mickelson, who secured back-to-back titles the week before the Nissan Open, is brimming with confidence as he builds towards defending his Masters title next month. He made ten birdies, including six in his last eight holes, for a share of the lead.
“When the field is so strong, four or five or six under just isn’’t going to cut it, and I find myself pushing to go lower,” said Mickelson.
For Dawson, it was his first event for a year after undergoing surgery to repair a ruptured disc.
