K.J. Choi Continues Hot Steak at Harbour Town

Finally separated from the significant shadow of Tiger Woods, K.J. Choi has the spotlight all to himself in Hilton Head.

The stocky South Korean shot a 7-under-par 64 and leads the 42nd edition of the Verizon Heritage by two strokes over Mike Weir and Greg Owen. Choi tied for 4th last week at the Masters, where he was paired with Woods for all four rounds. The two golfers finished with identical totals after each of round of the tournament.

"For the four rounds I played with Tiger last week, I actually learned a lot from that experience," Choi said through a translator. "Two things mainly; being patient and the second thing is focus. And I was able to do that last week. I think that experience is only going to help me get better. I'm thankful for the experience I had with Tiger."

Choi was just one of many players with early tee times who took advantage of the benign conditions at Harbour Town. Weir, Owen, Five-time Heritage champion Davis Love III, little known Chad Collins, Woody Austin, Sergio Garcia and Jerry Kelly all scored 67 or better and benefitted from the stillness of the morning. Kelly picked up an ace on the par-3 4th hole as part of the scoring barrage.

"When you play in the morning the greens are great," said Weir, whose only other appearance at Harbour Town came in 1999. The wind was down. You want to take advantage of that because the golf course only gets tougher as the day goes on."

Decent scores were still to be had in the afternoon session, as evidenced by Jim Furyk's 67 and three-under-par 68s by Boo Weekley and Bill Haas. Seventy-seven players finished Thursday's round at par or better, and 45 are within five shots of the lead.

Like Choi, South Africa's Trevor Immelman (3-under) used the momentum he gained at the Masters in the opening round of the Heritage. For players that grinded for four long days at Augusta last week, Immelman says leaving enough left in the tank for Saturday and Sunday is crucial.

"Obviously we all put so much preparation in getting ready for Augusta," said Immelman who had struggled early in 2010 playing sparingly because of a wrist injury. "A lot of times that can carry over to this week. You've just got to be careful to keep your energy levels up and not wear yourself out too early on in the week.

"We put so much into last week, it can be a little bit of a downer," Immelman added. "You've just got to try and manage the situation. The game should be sharp, but emotionally you want ot make sure you're nice and fresh come the weekend."

Popular and well-dressed rookie Rickie Fowler split his time between watching the Masters and getting ready for the Heritage last week during a visit to Stillwater, Oklahoma, where he was an All-American for Oklahoma State. Fowler is looking for his maiden PGA Tour victory in Hilton Head after close calls during the Fall Series and on the West Coast Swing.

Spurred on by an eagle on the par-5 2nd, Fowler finished with a score of 68. Fowler was satisified with his opening effort.

"Definitely a lower number out there, but I played solid," said the 21-year-old, who made his PGA Tour debut at the Heritage in 2008 as an amatuer. "Didn't miss may shots. I hit one ball out of bounds, but other than that I played solid. But you can always play better."

Behind Fowler and Immelman at 2-under-par is a group that includes 2009 U.S. Open champion and South Carolina native Lucas Glover, 2009 U.S. Amateur champion Byeong-Hun An, Luke Donald, Ricky Barnes and Chad Campbell.

Defending champion Brian Gay had a rough go in his first competitive round at Harbour Town since he blew away the field by 10 strokes in 2009. Gay finished at 1-over-par and carded four bogeys, double his total during last year's immpressive win.

For live scoring visit www.verizonheritage.com.