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52 °F Forecast | Road Cams Friday, January 28, 2005 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Real Estate Guide Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People Volunteer Opportunities Moving to Southern Oregon? MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend January 14, 2005 Allred off to good start Former Ashland High star is three strokes behind the leaders at Sony Open From staff and wire reports HONOLULU — Jason Allred found himself in some prestigious company after the opening round of the PGA Sony Open on Thursday. The 24-year-old golfer from Ashland rallied with four birdies on the back nine to post a 1-under par 69 at Waialae Country Club in his first PGA tournament since earning a spot on the tour through qualifying school last month. Allred is in a 12-way tie for 17th place, just three strokes behind four golfers who share the tournament lead. Among the competitors Allred matched Thursday were reigning PGA player of the year Vijay Singh and defending British Open champion Todd Hamilton. Advertisement "It’s nice to be up there with those big name guys," Allred said. "A major goal of mine is not to worry about what other people are doing and just improve." Allred didn’t get rattled when he bogeyed two of the first three holes. He birdied the fourth hole but gave back a shot at the fifth. He completed the front nine in 2-over 37. "It was really a tough day with windy conditions," said Allred, who teed off in the afternoon. "I hung in there on the front nine when things weren’t going right. More than anything I kept doing the things I was doing and hopefully it would turn out OK. And it did." Allred finished the round with just 23 putts, which was tied for the best on the day. "Today it (putting) kept me in there for sure," Allred said. "I tried not to get too far ahead of myself and stay patient." More than anything, Allred was grateful to begin the tour season. "It was so much fun to get started," he said. "I love being out there. It’s a privilege to be able to do something I love." Allred is four shots behind Stewart Cink, Brett Quigley, Tom Byrum and Hank Kuehne, who each shot 66 for a share of the lead. The talk of the opening round was Michelle Wie, who carded a 5-over 75 and beat 15 men on the blustery day. Wie’s dream is to become the first female to make the cut since the Babe Zaharias in the 1945 Tucson Open, but the odds are no longer in her favor. "I think if I shoot under par (today), if I end up at like 1 over par, maybe I’ll make it," Wie said. "But I’m definitely going to go for under par." She didn’t get much help when the rare Kona wind, which gusted up to 25 mph, calmed slightly in the afternoon to stabilize the scoring. Scoring was 1½ strokes higher than last year. Wie wound up in a tie for 120th (she was 105th last year), and was four shots below the projected cut. But she wasn’t the only one who struggled in the wind. Two-time defending champion Ernie Els had to birdie the last hole for a 71, his first round over par in the 17 rounds he has played at Waialae. Singh was hanging around the early leaders on the strength of an eagle at No. 9, but he took a sloppy bogey on the par-5 18th for his 69. "It was hard hitting every shot — the drive and approach shots were difficult," Singh said. "It’s tough for the boys over here, you know? Going to be tough for a girl here, too." The comeback of the day belonged to Retief Goosen, who hit his first two tees shots out-of-bounds, made 9 on the first hole and played the rest of the way 3 under for a 72. Wie opened with a 72 last year at the Sony Open, then followed that with a 68 — the lowest score ever by a female competing on a men’s tour — to miss the cut by one shot. Given the conditions, her 75 wasn’t that bad. And she hit several shots she didn’t have last year, such as a knockdown driver to keep the ball low into a wind that caused palm trees to sway. "I was very impressed, all the different shots she was playing," said Matt Davidson, a Q-school grad who unwittingly made his PGA Tour debut playing in front of some 3,000 people, enough to line every fairway from tee-to-green, standing six-deep behind the ninth green when they finished the round. "I didn’t feel like I was playing with a 15-year-old girl," Davidson said after his 77. "She’s very polished. She has all the tools to be out here." Paul Azinger, Chad Campbell and Ryder Cup captain Tom Lehman were among those at 67 on a day in which only 29 players in the field of 144 broke par. Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. 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