Campbell’s 64 Leads at Honda Classic

Heavy rains Wednesday forced the cancellation of the Honda Classic Pro-Am. However, the rains were a blessing in disguise for most players since the typically hard, fast greens at the Sunrise Course became far more receptive. Tournament officials also put lift, clean, and place (dubbed “lift, clean, and cheat” by tour pros) into effect due to the water-logged fairways. First-round scoring reflected this, with 59 players at even par or better. However, it was Chad Campbell who stood above the crowd with an impressive first-round score of 64. Although course conditions were softer, wind gusts of 15 mph combined with a long 7,468-yard course presented some difficulty for the players.

Campbell began the round on the back nine early in the morning with temperatures still in the low fifties, and as the temperature heated up, so did Campbell’s play. Campbell birdied a total of eight holes, and holed an approach from 70 yards on the 17th hole for an eagle 3. Campbell also wielded a very hot putter, sinking his last two birdie putts from 15 and 25 feet. Had it not been for bogeys on 10 and 16, Campbell may have been staring at a -10 first-round lead. Campbell remarked “the first six or seven holes I was trying to be patient. Then I holed that shot at 17, which was my eighth hole, and kind of got things going.”

Vijay Singh, now the #2 player in the World Rankings, cannot catch Tiger Woods even with a win this week. However, he can come within fractions of a point of reclaiming his old title. However, he will have to make up seven shots just to catch Campbell. Singh shot a 71 today only managing two birdies on the front nine and a bogey at 13. Jesper Parnevik, who just celebrated his 40th birthday on Monday, is only three shots back after a round of 67.

Pos Name                      Tot     R1
1   Chad Campbell             -8      64
2   Brett Wetterich           -6      66
3   Jesper Parnevik           -5      67
T4  Aaron Baddeley            -4      68
T4  Woody Austin              -4      68
T4  Nick Watney               -4      68
T7  Pat Perez                 -3      69
T7  Brad Faxon                -3      69
T7  Kevin Na                  -3      69
T7  Alex Cejka                -3      69
T7  Jason Allred              -3      69     
T7  Charlie Wi                -3      69
T7  James Driscoll            -3      69
T7  Robert Allenby            -3      69
T7  Justin Rose               -3      69
T7  Lee Janzen                -3      69
T7  Todd Hamilton             -3      69
T7  Billy Andrade             -3      69
T7  Bob Estes                 -3      69
T7  Sean O'Hair               -3      69

Photo Credit: © AP.