Stewart Cink posted a bogey-free round of 8-under-par 64 on the easier North Course and took a one-stroke lead over Gary Woodland after the first day of the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines Golf Course in La Jolla.
The 40-year-old Cink birdied three of the first four holes and closed with a flourish, recording birdies on five of the last eight, including three in a row through No. 17.
“If you can drive the ball well on the North Course, you can make a lot of birdies and I was in the short grass all day,” said Cink, who has won six times on the PGA Tour, but not since the 2009 Open Championship at Turnberry. “It’s a different game. There are several short holes where you have chance to make birdie. It was a calm, relaxed round.
“(Torrey Pines) is really a tale of two golf courses. The South Course is one of the monsters on the PGA Tour. It’s difficult and challenges all phases of your game. But I am feeling confident and looking forward to the challenge.”
Woodland, who has won twice on the PGA Tour including the 2013 Reno-Tahoe Open, collected five birdies and an eagle on the 18th hole in his round of 65 on the North Course.
Jason Day of Australia, coming off his individual and team victories in the World Cup of Golf in December, opened with 66 to tie for third with Tyrone Van Aswegen of South Africa, who earned his PGA Tour card by finishing 24th on the Web.com Tour’s money list last year, Jim Herman and Mark Leishman of Australia.
The top six on the leaderboard played on the North Course, which was almost four strokes easier in round one.
Pat Perez, who grew up in San Diego and won a Junior World title at Torrey Pines in 1993, had the best round of the day on the South Course, a bogey-free 67 that putt him in a tie for seventh with D.A. Points and Sang-Moon Bae of South Korea.
Phil Mickelson, coming off a tie for second in the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship in his 2014 debut last week, was tied for 17th after a 69 on the North and later went for treatment for what he called tightness in his back.
Tiger Woods, who has won eight times at Torrey including the 2008 U.S. Open, shot 72 on the South Course in his first competitive round of 2014 and was tied for 63rd.
