Lawrie and Drysdale shared the lead at Wentworth

37 year old Drysdale first joined the European Tour in 2002 but has yet to taste victory and while the chances of that breakthrough happening this week are slim he has made a great start in just his fourth time of playing the event.

“The season to date has been good, from tee to green, I’ve been hitting the ball well, haven’t holed many ping g15 irons putts all season, said Drysdale. "The back injury, I was a little unlucky but I seem to get something every year for a couple of weeks.

Lawrie thought believes the layout sets up well for him. "The course is set up great for me. Not one of the longest hitters on Tour but one of the straightest. You really have to hit a lot of fairways and you have to position your second shots off the greens to give yourself a chance of making birdies, or just settle for pars.

“It’s a course that you have to be very patient on and I’m quite a patient person, my wife wouldn’t believe that, but I am somewhere on the golf course. So that’s what you have to do.”

The more fancied players at the beginning of the week have made mixed starts. Rose was definitely one of them and will play a key role in proceedings no doubt as the week progresses.

“Overall, tee to green, my golf has been good this year. Just haven’t been rolling the putts and today, I hit a few shots on the last few holes but played nicely the first sort of 12 and 13 and managed to roll a few putts in.

“2 under through seven, feel like I’m playing well, and then I make four bogeys in five holes. So it’s just pretty disappointing. I feel like, you know, I’m playing pretty well. I just need to go out there and shoot the score.”

“Nice to get off to a great start at Wentworth, especially the afternoon, quick turnaround, hopefully keep the momentum going tomorrow morning., said the Englishman who won the WGC Cadillac Ping G20 driver Championship earlier this year. "Great crowds today, they came out in force with the weather being what it was and just a fun day’s golf back in England.

Defending champion Luke Donald is just two from the lead, two late birdies aiding his cause after a mid round stumble and Ernie Els gave an indication he might yet be a threat this week with his opening round of 68 on a golf course where he has yet to win this coveted event although where he has seven Wold match Play titles to his name.

Els was pleased to make a decent start. "I’m just pleased that I had a good first round for a change. The last couple of years I haven’t played that well here. I’m pleased to get off to a start which I’ve done now.

“It’s a great, solid round, said Donald. "This course is not easy. It’s tough. They gave us a little bit of a break today. I think they put some water on the greens last night. The balls were holding a little bit more than they were on Wednesday. But certainly as the week goes on, I think the forecast is still going to be pretty good. If they get the greens going firm, it’s going to be tough.

“I knew the course was going to be discount golf clubs fine, especially after the latest little tweaks we made. I think that makes you feel a little better that you know that the guys are going to like it. That didn’t have an effect on me; I was just motivated to play well this week.”

“Yeah, a bit of déjà vu from last year, said McIlory. "I kept getting off to good start and sort of making a few birdies around the turn and not really getting any momentum back, and it was the exact same what happened today.

New Orleans Saints players prepares well for OTAs

Jenkins, who is entering his third season as a starter in New Orleans' defensive backfield, said the Saints are hungry to begin on-field preparations for their 2012 campaign.

"It's totally different," Harper said. "There are a lot more eyes on the ball, not as much (man-on-man defense), and (we're) just trying to make plays on the ball. I'm looking forward to it. We're still going to pressure. We're still going to get after the quarterback Titleist 910 D2 Driver like we did. The more we'll get to work with it, the more comfortable we'll be with it."

The veteran safety was among several Saints players who enjoyed one more relaxing round of golf during the Saints Hall of Fame Celebrity Golf Classic at the Chateau Golf and Country Club, capping a tumultuous offseason for the team. The Saints will begin OTAs Tuesday, which will stretch through July 14. They will be the first on-field practices without franchise quarterback Drew Brees and Coach Sean Payton, who has been suspended for the season for his role in the team's bounty scandal.

Jenkins and Harper agreed that Brees' absence might lead to an atmosphere more conducive to learning a new discount golf clubs defensive playbook.

"I forgot the hearing was last week," Jenkins said. "I think everyone has just been moving on and focusing on things that are coming up like the OTAs. I don't think anybody is thinking about that stuff."

"It becomes a lot more relaxed when you don't have Drew out there making the plays that he does," Jenkins said. "We'll be able to learn quickly what we can and can't do in that defense."

Harper said that new defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo has already introduced major changes to the playbook in a departure from former defensive coordinator Gregg Williams' scheme.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell's Mizuno MP-69 Irons suspensions of several current and former Saints players, including defensive end Will Smith and linebacker Jonathan Vilma, were the subject of a NFL grievance hearing conducted in New York last Wednesday. Jenkins, however, said that Saints players have put the issue out of their minds.

"It's been a long offseason, and I think where we're most comfortable is on the field," Jenkins said. "That's where we get peace from all of this and take our first steps moving on to the new season. I think guys are excited to take a step in a new direction."

whether Patrick Reed's crazy golf schedule was worth it

Reed did get one reprieve from the Monday qualifying grind just prior to the Texas Open, when he and Karain were pulled off the third hole thanks to a last-minute sponsor's exemption. Reed took advantage, making the cut and finishing tied for 35th.

"I have no status, so we're playing Callaway Razr X Tour irons for the status," said Reed, who always talks about his career journey as "we," since Karain has just as much invested in it as he does. "If I play my game, I can be out here. I know that. A lot of the people that are behind me have told me that as well, and that builds my confidence."

Reed shot 4-under par, was in a playoff and got in on the second hole of sudden death. He then made the cut at the Zurich Classic, before getting on a plane to head to Greenville, N.C. He got up the next morning for yet another Monday qualifier.

Just after playing the final round of the Valero Texas Open in April, Reed and Karain quickly packed a few things, jumped in the car, and raced to the site of another Monday qualifier for the Zurich Classic of New Orleans.

Reed made his third straight cut and finished tied for 32nd. After watching The Players Championship on TV, Reed came to Dallas to qualify for the Nelson. He played a practice round at Lantana on Sunday and then had one of his best days on a golf course Monday when it counted.

"I was hitting the ball great but wasn't putting very well," Reed said. "I had 15 feet and thought it was breaking left. Justine made the perfect read. She said it was breaking right. I wasn't putting [well] so I said, 'I'll go with your read.' I made it and got in without a playoff. If I hadn't made it, it would have been an 11-man playoff for three spots."

"We got to New Orleans at 2:45 in the morning, and the wake-up call came at 6:45," said Karain, a 25-year-old nurse who caddies for Reed. "We made it on adrenaline."

At the Zurich Classic, Reed said he was unable to get anything going until his final nine, when he shot 5-under for the last eight holes to vault to 24th.

"At least after that we could fly to the next Callaway Diablo Edge Driver, but we still got in at 1:15 Monday morning and had to qualify that day," said Reed, who turned pro nearly a year ago after helping Augusta State to back-to-back NCAA golf championships.

This is how Reed, who lives in Houston, is making his living these days. And it isn't easy. But the 21-year-old, with a huge assist from Karain, is traveling to every PGA Tour event that isn't an invitational and trying to qualify that Monday. So far, he's doing a very good job of it.

Reed is making Monday qualifying a habit, doing it in four consecutive non-invitational PGA Tour events. In the first three, he also managed to make the cut. He took an important step Thursday discount golf clubs by making the cut at the HP Byron Nelson Championship, shooting a 1-under 69. A good round Friday, and Reed could once again earn a check this weekend.

As Reed looked over a birdie putt on his last hole that day to get into the Wells Fargo Championship, he thought it was going to break left.

Edmonton never had could have been wickedly ugly

“The winter we had was about as bad as it could get for golf courses,” said Grant Puddicombe, managing director of Puddicombe Golf Course construction as well as the managing partner for RedTail Landing golf course.

“The warm weather and lack of snow combined with rain and freeze-and-thaw cycles that turned into ice could have been devastating.

Instead — and while it’s far from unanimous across the city — several courses like RedTail, Whitetail, Glendale, Riverside, Northern Bear, Victoria, the Ranch and Blackhawk — came through better Ping G20 irons than ever.

“I’m still shaking my head. I’ve never seen conditions like this — this good — for this early in the year,” echoed Duane Sharpe, head superintendent at Blackhawk.

“The most worrisome was the ice that formed in the low areas where the rain and snow melt collected.

“By far the best I’ve seen Riverside in,” said Ross Armour, longtime Riverside men’s club member.

“We were all worried but I guess there was nothing to be worried about,” said Asher.

“An ideal winter is a cold November followed by snow cover until March and then a slow melt with a warm April — which is just about opposite to what we did have,” said Sharpe.

The first, at Highlands, came on No. 3 callaway diablo edge irons when Don Remeika aced No. 3 from 144 yards with a 7-iron. Playing with Vic Ewasiw, Tom Sanden and Ken Segin, it was Remeika’s fourth ace.

“This winter was ridiculous. Outside of a couple of cold spells, it was shirt sleeves a lot of the time.”

The Quarry, located not far from Raven Crest in northeast Edmonton, will be the longest course in Canada, some 7,600 yards long from the tips. Not to worry though, the forward tees will play from 5,100 yards.

The Ranch has gone to TrueStrike golf mats for their driving range. The latest in golf mat performance, they replace the unrealistic, hard synthetic grass mats and have a forgiving strike surface and divot simulating gel pad subsurface.

Sharpe and Puddicombe said courses that have A-4 bent grass instead of poa would have wintered the best.

Speaking of Cardiff, St. Albert’s Cody Hancock, who plays out of that course, finished tied for fourth in the boys 17-19 age category in the first Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour event of the season at Paradise Canyon in Lethbridge. Hancock shot a final round of 1-over 72.

“Thank goodness for bent grass,” concurred Sharpe. “Poa annua can only withstand being under ice for 60 days, whereas bent grass can withstand up to 120 days. That’s why some of the discount golf clubs older courses with older turf would have had problems this year.”

The second hole-in-one was at Cardiff where member Mark Miller aced No. 17 from 150 yards.

“It came on just the second day we were open,” said Cardiff executive professional Trevor Commet. “What a way to start the season.”

“It’s an awesome surface to hit off of,” said Murray McCourt, The Ranch’s general manager and executive golf professional.

Rory is looking for more

"I know I've been criticized a little bit for not playing as much as some other guys leading into these few weeks, but I know I've got a big stretch coming up, and I want to be as fresh as possible for this."

That stretch includes this week, next week's Players Championship, the BMW PGA Championship in England, the Memorial Tournament and the U.S. Open in June. After not touching a club for two weeks following the Masters, McIlroy said he put in a solid week of practice in Florida last week.

McIlroy is plenty comfortable at Quail Hollow. He became the first player in tournament history to make the Titleist 712 CB Irons 36-hole cut on the number and win as he shot 66-62 on the weekend in 2010. The final-round 62 set a course record.

"I've got a nice little run of five (events) in seven weeks. I want to play good here and try and build up to the U.S. Open. That's the next big target for me," he said. "I got to Florida, spent seven days there and did some really good practice, so I was happy with that."

"It's always nice to come back to somewhere where you've had success. I've got great memories of this course. I'm looking forward to just to get back out on the course. I've had three weeks off, and it feels good to be back, and I'm looking forward to this run that I've got coming up."

McIlroy also isn't worried about what happened the last time he played, when he tied for 40th at the Masters, which included a disastrous 77 in the third round that included a 42 on the front nine "that just killed me," he said. It shocked others as McIlroy had won the Honda Classic in March and hadn't been out of the top five all season.

"I want to try and prolong my career as much as I can," McIlroy said Wednesday at Quail Hollow Club, where he emphatically announced his presence to the U.S. golf public with his first PGA Tour win Titleist 712 MB irons 2010. "I sometimes take a little bit too much out of myself, especially at the end of the season. The most important time for me in the golf season is from the start of April until the end of August. That's when all the big tournaments are, and that's when you want to play your best golf.

"I struggled to hit the ball right to left at Augusta," he said. "I couldn't turn it around some of the corners, which usually is my typical favorite shot. I've been working on that and trying to become more comfortable with that shot again and be comfortable working the ball both ways."

"It's up there," McIlroy said when asked if discount golf clubs was the best round he's ever played. "It's probably the best. Yeah, to shoot 62 on this golf course was something. To follow up a great round like a 66 on a Saturday, to follow it up with a 62, sometimes you don't usually do that. To be able to do that was fun.