2007 PGA Championship: Tiger Woods trailing, Graeme Storm leads

The first day of the 2007 PGA Championship is almost over, Tiger Woods tied 27th, Graeme Storm leads five under par.

2007 PGA Championship: Tiger Woods trailing, Graeme Storm leads An exiting opening day of the 2007 PGA Championship at Oklahoma. It seems that the heat on the course got the worst out of some players, and one of the least prepared for the temperatures, Graeme Storm from England, sits atop of the leaderboard after day one of the golf tournament. At press time, Storm's countryman Justin Rose was at the 15th with one under par and J.J. Henry was also one under at the 14th. When done, these two golfers may change the PGA Championship leaderboard a bit.

Tiger Woods finished tied 26th after day one, 1-over par 71. Heat and wind worked against the world number one, two bogeys at the second and forth, followed by a birdie at the fifth. Two bogeys in a row at the 7th and 8th holes, then three birdies and a bogey to finish tied for 27th position on the leaderboard. Overal, typical start for Tiger Woods, most of us are used to Woods starting day one in the 20's this year. His odds on winning the PGA Championship were 9/4, as listed by the online gambling website Bodog Sports (new window), after day one his odds are now 2/1 and he remains the favorite, according to the bookmaker.

The surprise of the Championship opener was Graeme Storm from England. The 29-year-old golfer was very concentrated on his game throughout the first day, no bogeys and five birdies made Graeme Storm the leader at the 2007 PGA Championship after the first round. Turned pro in 2000, Storm is not one of the many big names at the tournament, his best achievement in major championship was 78th at the 2005 Open. His name was not on the props for the 2007 PGA Championship, and if he wins, he would pay the field bet of 5/1.

Phil Mickelson is still in the game, after the end of the first round, Mickelson is tied for the 55th spot on the leaderboard with 3-over 73. Phil Mickelson started with a birdie, second one at the 4th hole, followed by three bogeys and a birdie. He bogeyed at the 12th, 14th and 17th to finish just 3-over par after Day One of the PGA Championship, very well in the game. Phil Mickelson was listed with odds 18/1 by Bodog Sports, which remain the same after the opener.

There are a few names which would likely miss the cut. Awful luck at the 6th hole for Angel Cabrera, that single hole cost him seven over par by itself and a bit of arguing with the officials. After that - his concentration was gone and four more bogeys followed for the total of 11-over 81. Very bad day for the Argentinean golfer tied for 147th.

Bubba Watson opened the PGA Championship with a nice 2-under par by the 8th whole, but a double bogey on the ninth was followed by a long list of mistakes and he went back to the clubhouse tied for 136th with 9-over 79.

The top ten on the 2007 PGA Championship leaderboard after Round 1:

1 - Graeme Storm -5 65
2 - John Daly -3 67
T3 - Arron Oberholser -2 68
T3 - Woody Austin -2 68
T5 - Mark Wilson -1 69
T5 - Markus Brier -1 69
T5 - Camilo Villegas -1 69
T5 - Geoff Ogilvy -1 69
T5 - Lee Westwood -1 69
T5 - Padraig Harrington -1 69

The PGA Championship will resume tomorrow, August 19th at 2:00pm EST.

Published on 08/09/2007