DJ was in the 3rd group off at 7:55AM and was paired with Jonathan Byrd, former teammate of his a Clemson in his freshman year. I did not see the first hole as I was attending to getting some tickets to will call for some family coming in later in the morning. The temperature was quite chilly in the high 50's with a brisk wind blowing that would make club selection and ball control real difficult.
I caught up with DJ as he was hitting his second shot to the second hole, a pa 5. It is usually reachable but was playing directly into a 2 club wind. With water and a marsh in front, even with a good drive in the fairway he laid up. All I saw was his ball start left and have some hook on it and could not see where it ended up. When he got to his ball the marshal pointed into the hazard and DJ was soon measuring for a drop. He knocked it on and 3 putted for a double bogey from around 40 feet.
The next hole, a par 3, he found the front bunker when the wind gusted and knocked his ball down into it. A bunker shot to 8 feet and another lip out and he was now 3 over for 3. The fourth hole, a driveable par four, presented a chance to get one back with a birdie. DJ drove it over the right corner, pitched up to just over four feet and had horseshoe lip out and tap in for par.
The rest of the round went about the same, with the wind wrecking havoc on drives and iron shots knocking them down or blowing them sideways. His highlight shot came on 17 when he hit a sand wedge and skipped it to inside a foot for a tap in birdie.
DJ ended finishing up this mostly down round with a downer on 18. He hit a perfect drive in the center of the fairway and had 225 to the pin dead into the wind. He hit a cut shot into it, and a big gust of wind slapped the ball down into the hazard in front of the green.
The marshal found it, but DJ decided it was unplayable and decided to drop it back behind the hazard in the fairway. He pitched it to around four feet and made the putt to finish with a par which I guess we can call a good finish saving a bogey.
DJ shot a disappointing 5 over 76 and is next to last right now. He'll tee it up tomorrow morning with Don Rose. He might still have a chance to break into the top 70 to get to round 3 of the FedEx cup playoffs in Chicago at the BMW Championship if he shoots somewhere in the low 60's. I would certainly love to see him shoot that low and get a chance to go. And if he does go low and doesn't get in, it certainly would be a good boost for him entering into the fall series.
Following the round we had some family and friends and deciding to have lunch presented a dilemma as most of them did not have the credentials to get into the player and family dining room and even the clubhouse as they had only tickets with golf course access only. DJ decided the best place was to go to the caddy dining trailer where caddies, pros and anyone with them are welcome. It is quiet and comfy with the smells of good cooking. We had a great lunch, and while there Sean O'hair came in and had lunch with his caddy before he teed off.
With lunch over, we all headed out, knowing that we would be back at TPC Boston Monday morning bright and early and still quite chilly. Hopefully, tomorrow being a new day will be a good day with DJ going low.
The Surge!