Morgan Freeman at the Humana Challenge Day 1: Actor Morgan Freeman says, "When you whistle I will come," talking about President Clinton's invitation to the Humana Challenge.
First round co-leader Camilo Villegas gets in his trademark crouch to read his birdie putt, which he made, on the 509-yard par-5 eighth hole of the Nicklaus Private Course at PGA West on Thursday during the opening round of the Humana Challenge. Crystal Chatham/The Desert Sun
Humana Challenge
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LA QUINTA — Camilo Villegas struggled trying to remember the holes he had just played on the Nicklaus Private Course at PGA West.
“Can you believe that, I can't even remember the 10th hole,” Villegas laughed. Seconds later, he remembered the birdie he made on the hole, one of nine birdies he made on the day for a 9-under 63 and a share of the lead on the opening day of the Humana Challenge in partnership with the William J. Clinton Foundation.
“It's a really nice way to start the year, 9-under,” said Villegas, making his first start in the Humana and his first start of the year. “Kept the ball in play, made a lot of great putts and then again had a lot of fun out there.”
Villegas shared the lead with veteran David Toms, who also shot a nine-birdie, no-bogey round Thursday, but at La Quinta Country Club.
“I've always thought that La Quinta Country Club is one of the tougher courses in the rotation because the greens are fairly firm and it's a tight golf course,” Toms said. “But the golf course is in such good shape that if you had birdie putts, you could really start to make them.”
That's what happened to Toms, who played the first four holes at La Quinta in four pars. But he rolled in four consecutive birdies starting at the fifth hole, then added five birdies on the back nine.
Villegas and Toms led the usual opening-day charge into red figures in the tournament's first day under its new four-day, three-course format. Four players, all playing the Nicklaus Private Course, are tied at 64, one shot off the lead. They are rookie Ted Potter, Jr., Sang-Moon Bae, Brandt Snedeker and Bob Estes.
Six other players are another shot back at 65 after a day of warm temperatures and no wind.
“You realize you have to stay patient and when you have runs, take advantage of them and that kind of stuff,” Snedeker said. “You can't look at the scoreboard too much because it changes too fast. You just go out there and try to have as much fun as possible.”
Defending champion Jhonattan Vegas shot 70 on the Palmer Private Course, the site of his first and only PGA Tour victory last year.
Villegas, a three-time winner on tour, said he worked hard early in the week and was able to get full practice rounds in on all three tournament courses.
“Sometimes when you play a golf course for the first time, you've just got to be committed to your targets,” he said.
While he struggled remembering the holes in recounting the round — and never did remember his birdies on the fifth and sixth holes — Villegas didn't struggle at all on the course. Playing the back nine of the Nicklaus Course first, Villegas birdied the par-4 10th to start the day with a 12-foot putt.
He also birdied the 11th hole, then added three consecutive birdies on the 14th, 15th and 16th holes.
The round was an important start to 2012 for Villegas, who by some measures had his worst year on tour last year. He didn't win an event and fell to 77th on the tour money list. After changing his preparation for the 2011 season, Villegas said he reverted to his traditional offseason routine before this year.
“I always go home (to Colombia) for three, four weeks, I take some time off, I spend time with family, friends,” he said. “It's important for me to recharge. So that's exactly what I did this year.”
Toms' 2011 season was more successful with a win at the Crowne Plaza invitational and a playoff loss at The Players Championship. At the Humana, Toms has a tie for third in 13 previous appearances, but he hasn't been in the top 20 in his last six starts in the desert.
Toms said he enjoyed the new format of two pros playing with two amateurs in each foursome and his pairing for the first three days with fellow Presidents Cup member Phil Mickelson.
“I think the players probably enjoy that a little more,” Toms said. “I've looked at some of the pairings and I can tell that a lot of guys are playing with their friends.”
Mickelson struggled to a 74 in the pairing, but Toms played well throughout the round. He pointed to a 30-foot birdie putt on the par-5 sixth hole that jump-started the round. He rolled the putt in just after Mickelson had rolled in an eagle putt on the same green.
“That kind of got the crowd energized,” Toms said. “So it made for a fun day. And after that, it was just a lot of solid golf.”
