The First Round at Kapalua

It wasn’t exactly a perfect day in Paradise. The skies opened up frequently during round one of the Mercedes-Benz Championship, the first PGA Tour date of 2008, being played at the Plantation Course on Maui’s Kapalua Bay Resort (pictured above on a much sunnier day). The deluge produced striking rainbows, but also left the the greens soggy and slow. Veterans of the course, including last year’s winner Vijay Singh, seemed confused about playing under those water-logged conditions.

Still, after over a month’s hiatus, it was great to see the first drive of the new season. Highlights of the early round included a fine effort by young golfer Brandt Snedeker, who is recovering from the flu and who led for most of the back nine until he cracked his driver and lost his concentration on the 17th hole. Also noteworthy were some incredible putts by Daniel Chopra, who completed the round in second place.

Nick Watney reached the clubhouse in first place, with a -5 and defending champion Vijay Singh shot a +1. Several of the top PGA players, including Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson, are sitting out this tournament.

The Mercedes-Benz Championship continues today. The round is being televised on the Golf Channel, beginning at 6pm.

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