……Fatiha Betscher, Pebble Beach, CA.
It’s a sad reflection that John Daly shoots his equal best opening round on the PGA Tour and there’s those only too quick to drag up the past.
Despite some of these negative early on-line reports the double Major winning Daly proudly turned back the clock posting a bogey-free seven under par 65 to be trailing just one shot behind fellow Americans J B Holmes and Justin Hicks on day one of the AT & T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am.
Daly was out on the famed Pebble Beach Golf Links course and one of three venues in the region playing host to the $US 6.8m event.
Of course, Daly hasn’t tasted success on the PGA Tour since capturing the 2004 Buick Invitational, and now known as the Farmers Insurance Open, but then he still knows how to win having won a pro-am event late last year at Bekek in Turkey.
John Daly shoots his equal lowest starting score ever on the PGA Tour – a seven under par 65. (Photo – www.pgatour.com)
His 65 is Daly’s lowest score on the PGA Tour since a third-round 64 at the 2014 Sony Open in Hawaii.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve played that well in the first round of this tournament,” said Daly.
“This course allows you to hit the driver a lot,” he said. Those drives set up, by his estimation, four or five gimme-range birdies.
“But then this is only the first round so I am just going take each hole at a time and enjoy the moment.”
Daly is contesting the event on an invitation and at the start of 2015 that will mark the 20th anniversary of his 1995 Open Championship at St. Andrews where golf’s oldest Major is returning in July.
“It’s hard to believe it’s coming up to 20 years,” he said.
“But then I still have very fond memories of my victory at St. Andrews and it’s been so special to go back their every five years, and this year will be no exception.”
