PGA TOUR Whaley happy with 75 in GHO opening round

She'll need the round of her life in order to make the cut predicted at 140.
CROMWELL, Conn. (AP) -- Suzy Whaley watched Annika Sorenstam fade in the second round at the Colonial in May and wants to make sure the same thing doesn't happen to her today in the Greater Hartford Open.
The 36-year-old local teaching pro was extremely pleased with her 5-over 75 recorded in a windy and sometimes rainy first round on Thursday.
"I think if I can learn anything from Annika, it would be not to let it be a letdown," said Whaley, the first woman to qualify for a PGA event since Babe Zaharias in 1945. "She got that (first) round in. It's hard not to say 'OK, I've done it."'
Won PGA sectional
Whaley played her way into the tournament by winning the state's PGA section last fall, hitting from women's tees that made the course about 10 percent shorter than her male competitors. But to play against them in the GHO, she is hitting from the men's tees. She also had to deal with nerves and a strong headwind that kicked up later in the day. The conditions made the 6,280-yard course play much longer.
"I felt like I was playing the British Open on the back nine. It was blowing so hard," Whaley said. "The ball was absolutely stopping on every drive. This golf course played extremely long for me today as I knew that it would, but this was above and beyond."
Fears that Whaley would have the worst score in the opening round were unfounded. That distinction belonged to slumping PGA star David Duval, who shot a 13-over 83.
"I had more fun than I thought I would," Whaley said. "It was harder than I thought it would be, which is hard to believe, but the experience was absolutely more than I could have ever imagined."
Birdie on 18
Whaley made a double bogey on the first hole but then settled down and recorded her only birdie of the day on No. 18. After her 37-foot putt from the fringe banged in off the pin, she raised her arms triumphantly and slapped hands with her caddie.
The putt brought roars from the gallery and smiles to the faces of her playing partners, even though it meant one of them, Anthony Painter, would finish below her. That put him in the company of 12 other men -- including Duval, the 13-time tour winner and 2001 British Open champion, and 1987 U.S. Open winner Scott Simpson, who had a 77.
Sorenstam, who was given a sponsor's exemption to play in the Colonial, missed the cut in that tournament. Whaley, who played briefly on the LPGA Tour in the early 1990s, would need the round of a lifetime to make it.
"I'm proud of the way I hung in there and I look forward to making it a little lower (today) if the conditions are better," she said.
The 36-hole cut is projected at even-par 140.
First round leaders
Peter Jacobsen and Jay Haas led the tournament at 7 under, with Dennis Paulson one stroke back. Kenny Perry, who has won three of his last five tournaments was in a group of six at 4 under. Two-time defending champ Phil Mickelson had a 67.
The 63 was the lowest round of the year for Jacobsen, a former GHO champ who hasn't had a win on tour since 1995.
"I really can't say I've done anything different," Jacobsen said. "My kids are all out of the house, so your priorities change a little. I can spend more time working on my game."
Haas, who hasn't had a tour win in 10 years, has five top 10 finishes this season, including seconds in the Bob Hope and Players Championship.
Duval, who has missed the cut in 12 of the 16 events he's played this year, approached Whaley on the putting green before the round and wished her good luck.
"He introduced himself, which I thought was kind of funny because obviously I knew who he was," Whaley said. "He told me to enjoy it and have a great day. I mean, I can't say enough about the PGA Tour players."