HUALALAI, Hawaii >> Something about Hawaii agrees with David Toms. Whether it’s the weather, the grass, or just the vibe, Toms has had success in all three of his appearances here, including Thursday’s opening round of the Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai.
His opening round of 7-under 65 left him tied for first with Joe Durant and three shots clear of 2015 winner Miguel Angel Jimenez and Scott Parel in windy conditions that kept the scores up a little on the Jack Nicklaus-designed course.
Toms, who is one of four past Sony Open in Hawaii winners in the field this week, was glad to be sitting atop a leaderboard once more in the 50th state. He finished fourth in the wind-shortened event here in 2017 and third last year, just two shots off the winning pace of Jerry Kelly.
So, what is it about Hawaii that agrees so well with him?
“I don’t know,” Toms said, who had one of four bogey-free rounds. “I think the warm weather. Obviously, it’s Bermuda grass, I grew up on that. Later in my career on the tour, I got better in the wind, more patient and really concentrated on what I was doing and started hitting the ball a little more solid and started to be able to play better in the wind.
“You don’t always do it because it is what it is. Windy days are unpredictable, but I feel good over here. I enjoy the experience, enjoy being in the heat and humidity, and I’ve had a lot of success over the years here.”
Durant doesn’t have the same kind of history in the 50th state. He credited his ball-striking in the wind that gusted to 25 mph off and on for most of the day with leaving him tied for first after the opening 18. That it was windy in and of itself isn’t news, but it was the first time the breezes kicked up all week, leaving the 42 golfers in the field scratching their heads. There were 15 rounds in the 60s and 29 who broke par en route to a high scoring average of 71.024.
Defending champion Kelly was back in the pack with a 71. He had knee surgery in the fall and played a practice round at Pebble Beach late in the year with Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Rodgers and girlfriend Danica Patrick followed Kelly for part of his round.
Durant didn’t have that kind of star power cheering him on, but he didn’t need any. He carded eight birdies and one bogey at the par-4 16th when his 6-footer for 4 slid past. He just missed a birdie putt at 17 and then knocked one in at 18 to post the first 7 under of the day.
“Well, 16 I hit the iron shot about where I thought I was going to, but the putt, that’s one of the slower putts on the golf course and I just didn’t hit it near hard enough, so I left myself a 6- or 7-footer, which I hit a good stroke, but just didn’t make it,” Durant explained in detail. “Hit a good putt on 17, didn’t go in. But finishing with a birdie on 18, that makes dinner taste a lot better tonight.”
Toms didn’t mention anything about dinner after he birdied 18, but you could tell it left him feeling pretty good about his chances over the next two days. It’s certainly not a match-play event with Durant. There are 13 golfers within four shots of the final pairing. But if you’re going to win here, you need to break cleanly out of the gate.
“I expected the wind to affect scoring a little bit today and it did for the most part,” Toms said. “I think anybody who shot 3 or 4 under would be happy with it, but we’re all bunched up. They’re all champions here, everybody knows how to play golf and win tournaments. You’ve just got to go out and play your best golf to have a chance.”
Betting favorite Steve Stricker has some work to do to be part of the equation on Saturday. He opened with a ho-hum 70, which was a little disappointing since he was 2 under after four holes, but the first tour of duty here usually results in a higher score. Other notables struggled Thursday, including three-time champion Bernhard Langer (70), Tom Watson (71) and Fred Couples (72).
