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PGA Championship First Round News & Notes

Golf Betting Lines

08/07/2008 - Bloomfield Hills Township, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Despite the fact they share a surname, there is no relation, whatsoever, between Jeev Milkha Singh and Vijay Singh.

"In the practice rounds I can hear a lot of people say, 'Oh, I think he's Vijay's son or he's Vijay's brother.' I heard that many times," admitted Jeev Milkha. "I just say I'm the other Singh."

On Thursday, he was the superior Singh.

He posted a two-under 69, while Vijay, a two-time champion and the winner of last week's WGC-Bridgestone Invitational, struggled to a six-over-par 76 on Thursday.

"My short game was sharp," said Jeev Milkha Singh. "Didn't drive the ball that good, but any time you shoot under par in a major championship, I think you got to take it and put it deep down in your pocket and I've done that today."

While most casual fans don't know, the younger Singh is one of the hottest players in the field. He has won two of his last four starts - one in Austria, one in Japan - and has done so in some substantial pain.

"I had been suffering with a little tendon running through the ankle on my right foot. It's got a lot of pain," acknowledged Singh. "I've been wearing a brace for the last four weeks. I did injure it just before the French Open, that was about seven, eight weeks ago. I've been getting a lot of physio done and it gets better, but you hit one of those shots out of the rough and I'm back to square one."

Singh complained that using the driver hurts a little more than other clubs. His doctor told him he needed four weeks rest. Singh told his doctor he couldn't do it.

"I decided if I'm going to play the PGA Championship I'm going to push myself through to this week and next week and after that I'm surely going to be taking two weeks off, maybe I'm going to extend it to four," he said.

One positive Singh can take from the ankle injury is that he hasn't been able to practice much at all. Remember, he's got two victories in the last seven weeks.

"I haven't played any practice rounds for the last seven weeks in the tournaments I've played and it's worked for me pretty good," said Singh, whose father was a world-class sprinter.

Since Singh played nine holes each of the last two days, things might not look great for him come Sunday.

NOT A FAN

"The Monster," the ominous nickname of the South Course at Oakland Hills, may have lost a fan.

"I was happy to break 80 after being seven-over after 12 holes," said Lee Westwood, who finished with a seven-over-par 77. "Standing on the 17th tee, I asked my caddie if he could hear the sea as well as I am sure I could hear my holiday calling. But I dug in there. I didn't do a lot wrong."

Westwood finished as a runner-up last week at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational. He went 4-0-1 in the 2004 Ryder Cup, the last big event staged at Oakland Hills.

But Westwood was not a happy camper after his terrible round.

"The fairways are narrow and unfortunately if you miss the semi (rough) by a foot you are worse off than if you miss by 20 yards, which you need to take different people's opinions as the whether that is fair," he said.

Next up was the PGA of America's setup at Oakland Hills versus the USGA's layout at Torrey Pines for the U.S. Open, an event, Westwood coincidentally finished one shot out of the Tiger Woods/Rocco Mediate playoff.

"Cut all the rough out. I think the U.S. Open was set up perfectly," said Westwood. "It rewards accuracy and penalizes you if you are off liner. I didn't see that today. I asked my partners if I was out of order and they said 'No, if you are slightly off line you are crucified'."

Moving on to the rough around the greens...

"In my opinion, it is too thick around the greens as well," he said. "It takes the skill away from chipping."

The par threes?

"If the wind gets up you won't get there. I hit a three-iron and Zach Johnson hit five-wood and on 17."

And in conclusion, Westwood felt like the set up took away from a great venue and a great championship.

"I sound as if I am moaning, which I am, but it is a great shame as it is a fantastic golf course, they are great greens and they are playable, but there is no need to play it as it is," said Westwood. "They are sucking the fun out of the Major Championships when you set it up like that."

* Kenny Perry, a pre-tournament favorite thanks to a three-win 2008 PGA Tour season, made it through the first round, but withdrew after his round. The Golf Channel reported Perry injured his eye earlier in the week and he eventually withdrew.

* Padraig Harrington, the winner of the last two British Opens, including last month's, started wonderfully with three consecutive birdies. Unfortunately, Harrington finished at one-over 71 in the opening round.

* Frank Esposito, Jr. leads the race for lowest club professional after his one-over 71 on Thursday. Esposito, playing in his first PGA Championship, works out of Brooklake Country Club in Florham, New Jersey.

* According to pga.com and Dave Shedloski, Paul Goydos, who lost the playoff to Sergio Garcia at The Players Championship, was the first player drug tested at a major championship. Goydos shot a four-over 74 in round one.

* There was a tie for easiest hole on Thursday. The two par-fives, Nos. 2 and 12, both played to an average of 4.7115. They were the only two holes that played to par or better.

* The hardest hole on Thursday was the 498-yard, par-four 18th. It played to an average of 4.6122. The 257-yard, par-three ninth also played a half-shot over par with an average of 3.5238.