Round 1: JT Shriners Hospitals for Children Open

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Oct. 15, 2009
By PGATOUR.com Staff

The first groups are ready to tee off in Round 1 of the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open. Here's how it sets up:

Groups We're Watching

Tee time	Players
10:28 a.m. ET, Hole No. 10		Jim Furyk, Mark Wilson, David Toms Three players in the top 30 on the money list are all going off early on Thursday. Will Furyk end his two-year victory drought this week?
3:08 p.m. ET, Hole No. 10		Nick Watney, Rory Sabbatini, Stephen Ames Watney, who's No. 12 on the money list, seeks his second victory of 2009 and his first since February at the Buick Invitational.
3:08 p.m. ET, Hole No. 1		Anthony Kim, Nathan Green, J.B. Holmes Fresh off a solid appearance at The Presidents Cup, Kim returns to the tournament scene looking for his first win of the season.

EXPERT PREVIEW: PGA TOUR on-site correspondent Fred Albers previews Thursday's round:

Thursday's forecast

Sunny
Temp: 85 high/63 low
Mainly sunny and warm. Light winds.

Woody Austin is a grinder. As he played his pro-am round on Wednesday, Austin was looking forward to the off season but wanting to improve his position on the money list. He has won $1,137,331 and is 74th on the money list. The top 70 gets Austin invited to all the invitationals in 2010, so he'll play in his 24th tournament of the year. "It's always a grind. Last year at this time I was grinding to make the top 30 and get into the Masters. I missed that. Now I'm grinding out the top 70," grinned Woody, who happily entertained his pro-am partners.

All week long, players will gaze to the east at the Las Vegas strip and at the Stratosphere, but not because they're planning what to do that night. The large thrill ride is easily visible from TPC Summerlin and players use it as an aid in putting. Just like in Palm Springs where "all putts break toward Indio", at TPC Summerlin all putts break toward the Stratosphere.

Jim Furyk is a former champion in Las Vegas and is looking for a return to the winner's circle this week. There is nothing wrong with his game. Furyk has won $3,761,715 and is 8th on the money list with ten top-10s in 22 events. However, he is without a victory since the 2007 Canadian Open. "The longer I go without a win, the more it's on my mind. I haven't played here in a couple years, I was already out on the West Coast for The Presidents Cup, so I figured why not try to end the year with a win."

Stat of the Day

Look for lots of low scores this week at the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open. The scoring average last year at TPC Summerlin was 69.07, and the course yielded 95 eagles and 2,131 birdies -- easily the most of any course on TOUR.

The Film Room

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