November 5th, 2009 - Nick Watney fired a course record tying 64 and leads the HSBC World Golf Championships after round one. He used a hot putter to shoot 31 on the front nine before beginning the back nine with four consecutive birdies.
Wednesday Pro-Am and photo gallery
Tuesday preview and photo gallery
"The greens are so good that if you hit a putt on line, it's definitely going to go in," Watney said. "So I was putting very well. Just tried to give myself as many chances as possible, and I was able to make a few."
American Ryan Moore, Ireland's Shane Lowry, and Germany's Martin Kaymer each shot 66 and are tied for second place in the star studded field which features 15 of the world's top 20.
Not surprisingly, Tiger Woods was the day's biggest attraction and according to multiple reports, his gallery was basically a circus for much of the day. It started on his opening tee shot, when there were so many camera clicks during his swing, he completely hitched and hit a terrible shot short and right. In typical fashion though, he kept his round together and shot 67, just three off the lead.
Anthony Kim, coming off his runner up finish at the World Match Play, joined Woods at 67 with Phil Mickelson shooting a three under round of 69.
The early leaderboard showcases several of golf's most popular players and there will surely be many fireworks to come as this tournament moves toward the weekend.
Golf tip of the day:
When short sided and in deep rough, a flop shot can be the ideal shot. Using a sand wedge or lob wedge, play the ball forward in your stance aiming about 5-6 inches behind the ball. Open the clubface, take an open stance, take a full swing and pivot your back leg. The result will be a high shot that stops very quickly. This is a similar techique to a greenside bunker shot.