Norman can't buy a putt, Harrington is steady while Wakefield stays in contention.
A bit odd of a start for Norman. First of all, nobody is making a run which in a way should help players like Norman and Harrington, but Choi has to be a bit upset with his bogey at the first. Lot's of drama at the first tee, lot's of folks with mixed opinions. I would say after watching the first tee that half the crowd is rooting for Norman and the other is rooting for Harrington. Lot's of excitement and you had to think that Norman was doing the right thing by hitting iron off the tee. I thought it got him off to a great start, striping it down the middle. But his second shot with a 4 iron wasn't that good, putting it into the greenside bunker and making bogey.
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Again the weather is OK, winds at about 25 mph but very manageable. One player that I have a rooting interest in (have him in a little 100 pound pool) is Anthony Kim, who has par his first five holes and just barely missed a 15 footer for birdie at 5. At 3 Norman hit another poor tee shot right this time and was left from 195 with a impossible shot which comes up short and left. Again his game looks very shaky. Harrington was just in the right rough and from 160 with an 8 iron hit's it into a bunker. Now Harrington almost holes out his shot and does what he needs to do make his 15 footer for par, while Norman chips up to about 6 feet but misses it. Harrington has made three pars and now has the lead from Norman who looks terrible, something that we were concerned about. Another player having problems with their putter is K.C. Choi who has missed short putts at 4, 5 and 6 and is now 8 over, shades of his weekend fold last year at Carnoustie.
Oh, Harrington and Norman made pars at four, Harrington missed a golden opportunity with a 10 footer for birdie at 4. Another oh, Simon Wakefield hit his second shot 5 feet away at five and after making four solid pars and with a birdie at 5 is now tied with Norman and just one back of Harrington. What do we think of Wakefield, shades of Paul Lawrie, Ben Curtis and Todd Hamilton.
