Golf on Lehman's terms

By: JAY PARIS - Staff Writer | Thursday, January 20, 2005 11:23 PM PST ∞

LA JOLLA ---- In layman's terms, Lehman is hot. Del Mar's Tom Lehman, whose game has clicked since September, grabbed the Buick Invitational's first-round lead with a 10-under par 62 on Thursday. "I'm very pleased with the way I'm playing," said Lehman, after matching his career-low round. "I'm driving it long, and I'm driving it in the fairway quite a bit and rolling the ball fairly well and making some putts."

On Lehman's heels are Dean Wilson (63) and Arron Oberholser (64). Murrieta's Tom Pernice Jr., joins Ernie Els and Dudley Hart at three shots back.

Is Lehman back as well? He has seven PGA titles ---- including the 1996 British Open and PGA Championship ---- but hasn't kissed a trophy since the 2000 Phoenix Open.

His game started rising at last year's Bell Canadian Open, where he finished tied for fourth. Then in his season debut last week at the Sony Open in Hawaii, he had three rounds in the 60s to tie for ninth. He has four consecutive top-10 finishes, dating to 2004.

But those outings take a back seat to Thursday's play which has him in the Buick driver's seat. He rolled in birdies on nine of his last 12 holes, including a stretch of six straight to end the round. That gave him 29 on the back 9, the best showing after the turn this year on Tour.

All of Thursday's top scores came courtesy of the North Course, which was playing about three shots easier than the South.

Unfortunately for Lehman, the Ryder Cup captain, he had to put away his sizzling clubs. He would have preferred tackling the tougher South while his karma, and putts, were on the mark.

"It would have been nice to hit the first tee on the South and keep playing," said Lehman, who lived in Olivenhain before purchasing his Del Mar home three years ago. "It's one of those rounds where you're so in the moment and enjoying each shot."

Lehman's game flipped after watching Tiger Woods flop in shots in his short game. Like every golfer ---- duffer or pro ---- Lehman isn't shy about eyeing Woods and stealing a trick or two.

There's no chip on the veteran Lehman's shoulder which won't allow him to borrow from Woods.

"I think he's got the greatest short game out there," Lehman said. "Just watching him chip, trying to understand from just watching what his technique is, and then working on that."

Lehman might work his way onto the Ryder Cup. Although it's two years away, Lehman wouldn't mind holding dual roles.

"My goal is to obviously make the team," said Lehman, who has played in three Ryder Cups. "I think it would be really cool to be the first guy since Arnold Palmer (1963) to be the playing captain."

Wilson played himself into contention with a bogey-free round. Oberholser is in the hunt, eying his first PGA Tour victory. Pernice, a two-time Tour winner, is coming off a season in which he set career-highs in top-10 finishes (five) and earnings ($1.4 million). Els, in his first competitive round here since he was a junior player, is the biggest name clogging the leader board.

It was Els' putter in which he leaned on, as he made nine birdies and two bogeys.

"I just keep making putts," Els said. "That was the thing I was really concerned about was trying to make putts on these greens."

Among those at 66 and tied for seventh is Pat Perez, the Torrey Pines High product. He got his hands higher on his putter, which made for a lower score.

"I'm finally getting putts to go in," he said. "That's been the struggle, the putting."

The scores of other notable players include: Tiger Woods (69, South), Vijay Singh (71, South), Rancho Santa Fe's Phil Mickelson (72, South) and defending champion John Daly (72, South).

Contact staff writer Jay Paris at jparis8@aol.com.

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