Graeme Storm of England leads PGA Championship, John Daly on the leaderboard at Southern Hills
Released on = August 10, 2007, 11:29 am
Press Release Author = GolfPublisher Syndications
Industry = Media
Press Release Summary = Englishman Graeme Storm fired a first round 65 to go 5-under and lead the PGA Championship. But he\'s got company: John Daly, who didn\'t practice at Southern Hills this week, shot a 67 and is just two off the lead.
Press Release Body = Tim McDonald, National Golf Editor, Golf Publisher Syndications
TULSA, Okla. - Only one thing could make people stop talking about the blistering, August heat here at the 89th PGA Championship at Southern Hills.
Related Links Southern Hills Country Club will challenge PGA Championship field PGA Championship Pro Talk PGA Punter weighs in on PGA Championship favorites PGA Championship notebook Something like John Daly near the top of the leaderboard.
Daly temporarily tamed his demons for Thursday\'s opening round of the season\'s last major, firing a 3-under-par 67 on a day when sweat-drenched fans jostled for shade here, and for a while everyone forgot about heat indexes and \"excessive heat warnings.\"
But that didn\'t last. Little known Graeme Storm overtook Daly late in the round, firing an even-more-impressive 65 to get to 5-under and lead the tournament.
Three players - Aaron Oberholser, Woody Austin and Stephen Ames - are tied at 2-under. Tiger Woods, who led the tournament early in the day after getting off to a blistering start (3 birdies in his first six holes) struggled on his back nine, shooting a 1-over 71.
\"It was just one of those rounds, really, when I never really thought about anything,\" Storm told reporters. \"I just kept on doing the things that I was trying to do, which was just enjoy myself. I did get off to a fast start.\"
For a while Thursday, Daly looked like the person everyone wants him to be - on the golf course, anyway.
True to form, Daly did it his way and defied the experts. Daly simply overpowered a course everyone said could only be conquered only through finesse.
Time after time, the pros stepped up to the tee and hit long irons or fairway woods, working their way around the doglegs. Time after time, Daly stepped up to the tee and pulled out the driver - the booming club that\'s made him a fan favorite.
\"I didn\'t know what else to do,\" shrugged Daly afterward, his shirt untucked and a trademark Diet Coke in hand.
That might be because Daly rejected the idea of actually practicing at Southern Hills, same as he did when he won the 1991 PGA at Crooked Stick.
The round gave Daly exactly what he needed, and what he\'s lacked this year.
\"To play well, you have to have confidence, and I\'ve had none,\" said Daly, who\'s playing quite a bit these days under sponsors\' exemptions. \"This has been a very, very big confidence boost for me.\"
Daly\'s one-day performance surprised a lot of people.
\"It\'s amazing,\" said Ernie Els. \"This golf course doesn\'t suit his golf game at all and it\'s nice to see him up there at the top of the leaderboard.\"
Storm took a more conventional route on his round, staying in the fairway and avoiding trouble. Storm is barely a blip on the radar here in the U.S., though he did win this year\'s French Open on the European PGA Tour.
For more details visit - : http://www.worldgolf.com/news/pga/championship-notebook-aaron-oberholser-injuries-southern-hills-tulsa-5809.htm
August 3, 2007 Any opinions expressed above are those of the writer and do not necessarily represent the views of the management.
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