South African Trevor Immelman grabs first round lead at Greenbrier Classic on PGA Tour
The once great Trevor Immelman rocked the field with his opening round of six-under, 64 at the Greenbrier Classic on the PGA Tour to grab the lead after a long break of nearly three years.
The 31-year-old South African edged past the contenders on the first day of the event at The Old White TPC White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia and cleared the field by one shot.
The injury-stricken Immelman has been off the hook since his last victory at the Masters in 2008, and has undergone a wrist surgery for a broken tendonitis which plagued him for nearly the whole season in 2009 and 2010.
“I hope I'm close,” Immelman said. “You never know with this game. It's been a frustrating couple of years not being able to swing the way I want to swing and practice the way I want to practice. He part this year, I've been able to get back to working on
the things I used to work on back then.”
Immelman carded seven birdies and dropped just one shot on the back nine par-four, 16th to close his round with a 64. No fewer than five players are tied for the second spot, including Billy Mayfair, Derek Lamely, Webb Simpson, Steven Bowditch
and Gary Woodland, trailing Immelman by one shot. Mayfair also stumbled on just one bogey against his six birdies while Woodland was able to push himself in contention with his stunning eagle at Par-four, 4th. He dropped two shots in his round.
“It's been a disappointing year,” Mayfair said. “But as we all say, one week out here can change a lot of things.”
Phil Mickelson, the top-ranked American player fell in for a disappointing first round, dropping five shots and pulling in five birdies to close for a level-par. Currently number four on the FedEx Cup money list, Mickelson can easily topple Nick Watney from
the top with a victory here at Greenbrier Classic.
The left-handed golfer has been enjoying a thrilling weekend with his family here at TPC White, indulging in many of the recreation facilities at the club including Falconry, white water rafting and horseback riding.
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