IBC First Round Wrap-Up

by Quetzel Miller III

Palo Alto, California - Day one at the second playing of the Inaugural was filled with drama and excitement, or, should I say, drama due to a lack of excitement. With crowds swelling at each corner, there were few chances to cheer , especially from the featured pairing of the tournament, that of Chris and Thom Archibald. It started by actually looking like a great day of golf - Thom birdied the first hole, and Chris made a tester for par - this was sure to continue.

But then, the Municipal Golf Course at Palo Alto began to show it's teeth - and it wasn't liked by players, spectators, or the fans. Usually when courses are disliked by TOUR players, it is because its greens reach a 15 on the stimpmeter, another couple hundred yards have been added to the layout, or that the pins are in impossible positions. None of these were the case in Palo Alto on Thursday. Rather, the teeth of the course was shown through crater-sized holes in the greens, extreme inconsistencies in the receptiveness of the greens, and an overall lack of effort on the part of the local grounds crew in preparation for an AGA major. AGA officials are in contact with the grounds crew in hopes to find an explanation for the situation. It is likely that the AGA will not renew its contract with the course, which it has had since 2007, making it an integral part of each Inaugural.

Despite the difficult setup, the tournament favorite Archibald brothers found a way to come out of Round 1 on top. Thom finished with a one stroke lead over Chris, assuring the epic final round pairing that the world has been waiting for. Thom's round was a grind after his opening hole birdie, with the highlights being a few fantastic par saves. Chris chipped in on the sixth hole for birdie, and played a perfect two shots for birdie on the par 3 eleventh , which was playing into a fierce two and a half club wind. Chris also had a few great par saves of his own, but each playerls progress was slowed by too many consecutive mistakes.

Thom plays his tee shot on the par-3 eleventh

"I really was just guessing on any shot less than 100 yards," Thom said of the conditions of the greens. "Sometimes a chip would check right up and stop, other times it would skip and run twice as far as expected. It was impossible to judge - each green was so different from the last."

Chris hits a practice chip prior to his round

The wind was strong all day, but couldn't be blamed for the lack of excitement. "The wind made it interesting out there," Chris said after his round. "It was like a British Open, just not on a links-style course, no feskew, and the greens were terrible. Other than that, it felt just like a British Open."

Players were quick to leave the course and begin their preparations for tomorrow's final round at Shoreline Golf Links, another municipal course in the area. Here's hoping that they were told they'd be hosting an AGA major... it seems Palo Alto Golf Course didn't get the memo.


Post Round Interviews:

Chris Archibald

Thom Archibald