AUGUSTA, Ga. — The fans wanted to witness history, and Chad Campbell strived to supply it. Not long after the soft-spoken Texan had set a Masters record by draining birdies on his first five holes, the patrons shouted words of encouragement. “63!” “One more!” “Get to 10!”
Campbell’s birdie on No. 16 got him to 9-under par, but he retreated with bogeys on 17 and 18 for a still-sterling 65 that left him wanting more.
“Leaves you with a sour taste in your mouth,” he said after falling two strokes shy of the course record — but five strokes better than Tiger Woods.
On a warm and sunny day with barely a breeze, Woods’ favorite Sunday color ruled the opening round of the Masters. Red numbers blanketed the leaderboard.
Woods didn’t supply a single one because his name never appeared on the board. Woods was 1 over through eight holes and even par through 12. A birdie-birdie-birdie run ended with a blown 10-footer for birdie on 16 and a lip-out birdie attempt on 17. He bogeyed 18 from the fairway, leading to a brief postround TV interview. Woods probably wanted to break the microphone over his good knee.
“I knew the back nine could be had,” Woods said. “I was in position to shoot 4 or 5 under par.”
And how did his first major since reconstructive knee surgery in June feel?
“It felt the same,” he said. “I just sort of plodded along.”
Competitors such as Campbell, Jim Furyk (66) and Hunter Mahan (66) soared past him.
Larry Mize, the 1987 Masters champ who has survived just one Masters cut since 2001, shot 67. Greg Norman missed a 3-footer on No. 18 and settled for a 70. Anyone interested in a Mize-Norman playoff rematch?
Campbell isn’t. Not after sinking all those birdies.
At 34, Campbell admits he has underachieved, having won only twice on tour since 2005. He went 2-1-0 as a captain’s pick for the victorious 2008 Ryder Cup team, but …
“I haven’t done as much as I’d like to,” he said.
Campbell hails from a state rich in oil fields, but as an interview, he sometimes comes across as a dry well.
In a Q & A on the PGA Tour’s Web site, he listed his favorite beverage as water and said he had “no idea” of the best shot of his career.
And it seemed appropriate Thursday that Campbell wore a white shirt and white hat with dark slacks. Playing partner Boo Weekley wore an orange cap with apparent hints of camouflage.
But Campbell came up with a good line Thursday afternoon, joking of the player-friendly conditions at Augusta National: “They felt sorry for us, I guess.”
The tee was up on No. 1, allowing Campbell to reach the uphill par 4 with a driver and 7-iron. Campbell also thought that Nos. 7, 10 and 11 were shortened and spoke of several generous pin positions.
“If you hit good shots,” he said, “you really got rewarded.”
Said Woods: “There’s no doubt, the tees were up. And the pins were maybe a yard easier than they normally are. And when you get warm conditions like this, the ball is flying and guys can get it down there.”
The course yielded a scoring average of 72.25, with 38 of 96 players breaking par. Last year, those numbers were 74.18 and 18. The 2007 first-round scores were even worse: 76.19 and just nine players under par.
“It was,” said Mahan, who shot 66 despite a double-bogey on 11, “a perfect day to score.”
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