WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W.Va. — Greenbrier Classic version No. 5 began Thursday morning shrouded in fog so thick you’d swear you were roaming Scotland Yard and not the Old White TPC.
Follow the live updates from throughout the opening round where, as the old adage goes, you can’t win a $6.5 million purse but you sure as hell can lose it. (We’re looking at you K.J. Choi.)
Updated Greenbrier Classic leaderboard
6:45 p.m. Local longshot Brian Anania finished in the final group at 3-over. The fresh-out-of-college state amateur champion was encouraged to hear “Go Herd” as he sampled his first PGA event, but those Marshall fans and family members were about the only spectators left as Anania completed his round in the twilight.
6:15 p.m. Still no update on the absence of Jim Justice. Word is he’s pitching Melo to start a Greenbrier ball-hog clinic.
6:12 p.m. The cluster at 1-over includes Webb Simpson, Tom Watson, Vijay Singh and Faldo. All must do work to make the cut, but they’ll get morning starts on Friday when conditions could be more favorable.
5:35 p.m. New West Virginia landowner Bubba Watson shoots 3-under on the back nine and closes with a 68. He promptly talks about fly-fishing, so at least his priorities are in order.
5:18 p.m. I’m not sure anyone over the age of 90 will ever win a PGA tour event, but if someone does, it will be Tom Watson.
3:55 p.m. The average world ranking of the seven players tied for second at 5-under? It’s 363rd. Not much star power in that group, all of whom teed off in the morning and capitalized on soft greens and lack of wind.
3:25 p.m. Sir Nick Faldo is 3-over after nine holes and headed for the No. 1 tee box—barely 30 yards from where he shared a booth with George Lopez after yesterday’s pro-am. I propose he forfeit knighthood if he finishes 5-over or worse. Will text Elton John and Paul McCartney to gauge their feelings. (Barring an epic turnaround, he’ll be clear to resume broadcast duties with CBS this weekend.)
2:35 p.m. The two Mr. Watsons—Bubba and Tom—are deadlocked at even par. The younger has completed No. 7 and the elder is one hole behind. (Bubba also is breaking in his new pink driver, the Ping G30, which has “turbulators” in the head. “Who knows what that is?” he joked on a Twitter video posted Wednesday, but Bubba claims the new stick added 2 miles-per-hour to his club speed, 4 mph to his ball speed and 10 yards to his drives.)
1:30 p.m. After a 2-under first round, John Daly has a legit chance to make the cut. At least that’s what the casino pit bosses are hoping.
1:25 p.m. The Greenbrier dining room is insanely good. Gluttonously good. Impossible-to-quantify good. My plate was stacked with halibut and some artichoke salad concoction that included olive-bread croutons made just-mushy-enough by the oil. Had to pass on the provolone-wrapped chicken parm—I gave up land-based meats back in 2011—though one glimpse proved my carnivorous cravings are still alive and hearty. (Sorry if this blog turns foodie; it’s just hard to ignore the great work the kitchen is doing here. As a sports writer, I’m a connoisseur of free meals, yet there was independent validation this week when FedEx point leader Jimmy Walker referenced the tremendous food as one of the event’s main draws. And Walker’s a stringbean!)
1:05 p.m. Greenbrier head pro Hill Headrick predicted a winning score within the 12- to 15-under range. That forecast looks conservative given the way golfers are scoring today, but as the greens bake over the ensuing days, approach shots could become trickier. (I won’t let the sun scare me, however. I’m still predicting a winning score of 35-under with Appelby shooting 49 on Sunday.)
1 p.m. The Greenbrier group of death—with world No. 25 Keegan Bradley, No. 31 Webb Simpson and the venerable Tom Watson—just teed off.
12:40 p.m. Blixt Mania is real—and that’s not just the Ketel One “Oranje Tea” talking. (A delightfully refreshing mix of citrus vodka, Grand Marnier, lemon juice and ginger ale.) I’m not sure if there’s an existential link, but I’ve committed to keep drinking them as long as my favorite Swedish golfer keeps ferdy-ferdy-ferdying atop the leaderboard. He recorded a 6-under 64 on Thursday, which was two shots better than his best round last year. Blixt currently leads a pack of contenders at 5-under.
12:20 p.m. OK, so Choi—our breakfast-time target of ridicule—managed to climb out of last place by finishing at 4-over par. Our lunchtime target of ridicule would be Scott Verplank (5-over), but since the dude turns 50 next week, we’ll wish him a happy bogey birthday instead.
12:05 p.m. Jason Bohn wrapped up his round at 5 under, and any mention of him requires a rewind to 1992 when his $1 million charity hole-in-one led him to immediately forgo his final three years of eligibility at the University of Alabama. (Here’s the awesomely-grainy VHS video, or was it Betamax back then?) Bohn’s $50,000-per-year payments have elapsed, but they floated him through some dry years as a pro. “One shot can really change your life,” he said.
11:28 a.m. At 6-under through 12 holes, Jonas Blixt is only 76 hours away from a repeat championship. (Within seconds of that sentence being typed, Blixt bogeyed No. 5 and fell into a three-way tie for first. Feel the no-repeat curse.)
11:15 a.m. Stuart Appleby’s 59 is a distant memory. He’s 3-over through 13 holes and just one stroke out of the cellar.
10:35 a.m. John Daly’s pants come standard with an extension cord.
