First-round notebook – FBR Open
* Charley Hoffman got off to a good start in round one by firing a bogey-free, five-under 66 in the morning wave to get to five-under with David Berganio, Jr. Hoffman, who married his high school sweetheart last month, missed the cut in his two previous starts at TPC Scottsdale in 2007 and 2008.* Charley Hoffman’s opening-round, five-under 66 comes a week after finishing T19 at the 50th Bob Hope Classic presented by Arnold Palmer, site of his first PGA TOUR win in 2007.
* Due to darkness, play was stopped at 6:05 p.m. Nine players did not complete round-one. Play to finish the first-round will resume at 8:00 a.m. Friday morning.
* In the morning wave, PGA TOUR rookie James Nitties fired a six-under-par 65 in round one of the 2009 FBR Open to take the early lead by one-stroke over David Berganio, Jr. and Charley Hoffman.
* James Nitties, who hails from Australia, earned his rookie status by virtue of finishing second to Harrison Frazar at the 2008 Qualifying Tournament in Palm Springs, CA. Last week, Nitties returned to the Palm Springs area where he shot a 10-under-par 62 in round four (of five rounds) at the Bob Hope Classic, only to miss the cut.
* Though it was not reflected by his score of six-under 65, James Nitties enjoyed marginal success off the tee and into the green. He hit just seven of 14 fairways and was 12 of 18 in greens-in-regulation.
* Despite increased winds in the afternoon, Lucas Glover managed to catch James Netties’ lead of six-under 65 after round one. Glover made his 2009 debut at last week’s 50th Bob Hope Classic presented by Arnold Palmer, where five consecutive rounds in the 60s earned him T19 honors.
* Lucas Glover has played a total of 494 rounds as a professional, only 13 of which have been 65 or better.
* Lucas Glover has previously held at least a share of four first-round leads, none of which could he parlay into victory.
* Lucas Glover is competing in his fourth FBR Open. In 2006 and 2007, he notched T20 finishes, and last year settled in at T58.
* David Berganio, Jr. birdied three of his first four holes en route to a bogey-free, five-under-par 66 in round one of the 2009 FBR Open. Of his previous five starts at the FBR Open, he has never made a cut.
* Playing on a sixth Major Medical Extension for a disk injury, David Berganio, Jr has five events to earn $346,342 to earn Major Medical Extension status for the remainder of the 2009 season. Berganio, Jr. missed the cut at the Sony Open in Hawaii in his first start of the season, but followed that with T34 honors at last week’s Bob Hope Classic to earn $24,671.25. The FBR Open is his third of five events under the Major Medical Extension.
* Since 2004, when the PGA TOUR began tracking such data, Phil Mickelson has never double-bogeyed the first hole of the first round of a competitive event. Before today, he had played 97 first round/first holes during this time period and carded 26 birdies, 55 pars and 16 bogeys.
* In his first event of the 2009 season, hometown hero, Phil Mickelson, struggled with a five-over 76.
* Phil Mickelson played the first round of his 2009 season today in his 18th season debut as a professional. Below is a summary of Mickelson’s first rounds of the season throughout his career.
* SEASON-OPENING ROUND SUMMARY
Total rounds played17
Lowest64
Highest74
Average69.8
Rounds below par14
Average finish when opening round in 60s6
Highest opening round & won event70*
*1994 Mercedes-Benz Championship
FIRST ROUNDS OF THE SEASON DETAIL
YearEventOpening RoundFinishMoney won
1992Mercedes-Benz Championship74T30Amateur
1993Tucson Open67T829,700
1994Mercedes-Benz Championship701180,000
1995Mercedes-Benz Championship721919,250
1996Mercedes-Benz Championship742815,050
1997Mercedes-Benz Championship71T1130,600
1998Mercedes-Benz Championship681306,000
1999Mercedes-Benz Championship72T2243,550
2000Bob Hope Chrysler Classic67T1642,085
2001Mercedes-Benz Championship72T2849,500
2002Bob Hope Chrysler Classic641720,000
2003FBR Open69T9112,000
2004Bob Hope Chrysler Classic681810,000
2005Buick Invitational72T5610,656
2006Bob Hope Chrysler Classic66T5182,500
2007Bob Hope Chrysler Classic70T4515,500
2008Buick Invitational70T6180,700
* Should Phil Mickelson miss the cut after Friday’s second round, it will be just the second time he has done so in a season-opener. He missed the cut in his season-opening Phoenix Open, playing as an amateur in 1989.
* At the 2008 British Open, Phil Mickelson fired a nine-over 79 in the first-round. He rallied back to finish T19.
* Of 21 events in which Phil Mickelson competed in in 2008, the only cut he missed came at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am.
* The closest tee shot to the famed par-three 16th came from defending champion, J.B. Holmes, who stuck it to two-feet six-inches. The only double-bogey of the day came from Dean Vomacka.
* Defending FBR Open champion, J.B. Holmes, opened with a one-under-par 70.
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