JT Shriners Hospitals for Children Open, Round 1

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Tim Petrovic is off to a good start at TPC Summerlin, where he's seeking his first win since 2005.

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Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open

PGATOUR.COM's The Live Report has all the news and notes from the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open, and we'll be providing updates all day long for each round, so check back often. (All timestamps are Eastern Time.) PGA TOUR Shot Tracker | Live Scoring | PGA TOUR Network | Facebook | Twitter | FanZone | TOUR iPhone app

LEVIN GOES LOW, TOO (9 p.m.): The first round of the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open is in the books, but not before Spencer Levin added his name to the top of the leaderboard with a 9-under 62 of his own. Levin's 62 is a career-best round on the PGA TOUR with his previous best a 63 earlier this year in Milwaukee. Levin has never held a first-round lead on TOUR -- he was tied for second after the first round of the Legends Reno-Tahoe Open earlier this year, but finished in a tie for 63rd. -- Brian Wacker

Below is a look at Levin's scorecard from today (click here to replay his round with Shot Tracker:

FIRST ROUND WINDING DOWN (8:15 p.m.): The first round is wrapping up from TPC Summerlin, but not before Spencer Levin is making a late charge up the leaderboard. Levin is just two off the lead, and he still has four holes to play.

Levin has five birdies and an eagle on the day -- the eagle came on the par-5 16th (his eighth hole of the day), where he hit his approach to 4 feet. Levin is the only one who can currently catch the leaders in what's becoming a very crowded leaderboard. -- Brian Wacker

LEIF TURNING (7:30 p.m.): Two weeks ago, Leif Olson was battling for the Turning Stone Resort Championship. This week? He'll be lucky to break 80. After finishing in a tie for third at Turning Stone, Olson is struggling mightily at TPC Summerlin, where he's 13 over through his first 12 holes.

Olson started out with bogeys on four of his first five holes before adding a quadruple-bogey 8 on the sixth hole, where he took a penalty stroke after an errant tee shot and took five shots to reach the green before three-putting from just inside 28 feet. three of his first four holes. Olson followed that with a bogey, double bogey and a par to make the turn in 46 before making another double bogey on the 11th. -- Brian Wacker

MATTESON MOVIN' ON UP (6:37 p.m.): And the birdies keep on coming at TPC Summerlin, where Troy Matteson has moved up the leaderboard and to within a shot of the lead with birdies on four of his last five holes and eight birdies in all.

Matteson's done pretty much everything well today -- he's in the top 15 in the field in driving accuracy, greens in regulation and putts per green in regulation. He's also looking at what will likely be his lowest round of the year and possibly his career (Matteson shot 63 in the first round of last year's Children's Miracle Network Classic).

This isn't the first time the former Georgia Tech standout has played well in the desert, however -- he won the 2006 Frys.com Open for his first (and only) PGA TOUR victory. -- Brian Wacker

PRESSURE IS ON (6:05 p.m.): No one needs to play well this week more than the guys sitting outside the top 125 on the money list and so far, so good. The top three names on the leaderboard -- Tom Pernice Jr., Bob Heintz and Martin Laird -- rank 161st, 182nd and 134th on the money list, respectively.

Heintz's best finishes on TOUR are three ties for fifth at the 2005 Valero Texas Open, 2007 U.S. Bank Championship and the 2007 Canadian Open. Heintz, who got in the field on Wednesday as the third alternate, missed the cut in his last Las Vegas start in 2007 and finished in a tie for 58th in 2005.

Laird, who finished No. 125 on the 2008 money list in his rookie season, is looking for his second top-2 finish in the state of Nevada this season. He finished in a tie for second at the Legends Reno-Tahoe Open. Laird's 63 also matches his career-best round set at the 2008 Wyndham Championship (T4).

Pernice's 62 also equals his career-best round from the 2005 Children's Miracle Network Classic, where he finished second behind Lucas Glover. Pernice shot a pair of 63s earlier this year at the Sony Open in Hawaii and the 50th Bob Hope Classic. If his lead holds up, it will be only his second career first-round lead/co-lead and his first in 10 years. Pernice held a share of the lead at the 1999 Bob Hope Classic before finishing in a tie for 13th. -- Brian Wacker

CHECKING IN WITH A.K., MAHAN (5:30 p.m.): The opening round of the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open rolls on from Las Vegas, where Anthony Kim and Hunter Mahan -- a couple of guys hoping to build on their Presidents Cup success -- are each 3 and 2 under, respectively, as they turn to the back.

Don't be surprised if you see them courtside later tonight, though. Kim and Mahan are both huge Los Angeles Lakers fans and the Lakers are in town for a preseason game against the Sacramento Kings. -- Brian Wacker

PERNICE IN THE LEAD (4:45 p.m.): Success often breads more success, at least that's what Tom Pernice Jr. is hoping for. A winner on the Champions Tour at the SAS Championship last month, Pernice just took the clubhouse lead in Las Vegas with a 9-under 62.

Pernice, always one of the PGA TOUR's better putters, needed just 26 putts today after hitting all but one green in regulation. It also helps when your proximity to the hole is just over 28 feet, which is what Pernice's was. Now he'll try to do what Michael Allen couldn't -- win on the Champions Tour and the PGA TOUR in the same season. -- Brian Wacker

Below is a look at Pernice's scorecard from today (click here to replay his round with Shot Tracker):

Sip of Maginnes

MOORE OR LESS (4:35 p.m.): Patrick Moore was the Nationwide Tour Player of the year in 2002. In 2003, a failing back limited him to just three starts on TOUR, however. The next year was a struggle, too, ending in frustration with just 14 tournaments played. In all, Moore has made just one start on TOUR prior to this week since 2004. That was a couple of weeks ago at Turning Stone. The economics of things are simple -- Moore needs to make $452,636 in his next 11 starts to regain exempt status on TOUR. Obviously, that will extend into the 2010 season. Moore told me at the Boise Open on the Nationwide Tour that he felt like he was ready to play and he earned it only to have it taken away by his own body. Moore says that he is about 80 percent now and that is about as good as he thinks he will ever feel. The three-time winner on the Nationwide Tour is not bitter, though. He isn't asking for a handout. He just wants his body to let him play. He didn't play a competitive round for nearly four years and hasn't had any success this year on the Nationwide Tour or the TOUR. But that doesn't mean that he has stopped believing. Moore knows that he has a long way to go, but that journey pales in comparison to the odyssey he has already endured. -- John Maginnes

HEINTZ HOT (4:20 p.m.): Timing is everything. So when Bob Heintz got into the field in Las Vegas this week as an alternate, he didn't waste any time taking advantage of the opportunity. He just matched his career-low round with an 8-under 63 to grab grabbed a share of the lead with an opening-round 8-under 64 at TPC Summerlin, where he has a share of the lead. Sitting at 184th on the money list, Heintz could use a couple more rounds like that. -- Brian Wacker

LOCAL FAVORITE (3:45 p.m.): Las Vegas-born Scott Piercy is making a name for himself early on during the Fall Series.

Piercy fired a bogey-free 7-under 64 in Thursday's first round in his hometown, two weeks after sharing the 54-hold lead at the Turning Stone Resort Championship. He went on to finish tied for 12th at Turning Stone, his best result since March.

In Vegas, he's currently tied for the lead with Jim Furyk, Bob Heintz and Tom Pernice, Jr.

Overall, it's been a solid year for Piercy, who earned his TOUR card by placing ninth on the Nationwide Tour money list a season ago and has already secured his card for 2010 -- he's No. 86 on the money list. -- Nick Zaccardi

A SAFE BET (3:30 p.m.): It's no surprise that Jim Furyk broke par in Thursday's first round. In fact, in the city of high stakes, that's about the surest bet of the week.

Furyk's 7-under 64 is his 25th consecutive round under par at the annual PGA TOUR event in Las Vegas. Not since the first round in 2001 -- when the event was called the Invensys Classic at Las Vegas -- has Furyk failed to break par (he shot 76 that day).

In his career, Furyk has now played 61 rounds in Las Vegas and has broken par in 58 of them. Of the other three times, he shot even-par 72 in the third round of 1997, shot 75 the next day in the third round, and then had that 76 in 2001, the only year in which he has failed to make the cut in his first 13 starts in Vegas.

The 64 that Furyk shot Thursday is the lowest first-round score in his career at Vegas. See the chart below for the lowest of the 61 rounds Furyk has played in the Vegas event. -- Mike McAllister

INSIDE THE NUMBERS (3:10 p.m.): It's crowded atop the leaderboard at TPC Summerlin, where Scott Piercy, Jim Furyk and now Tom Pernice Jr. share the lead at 7 under. And they have plenty of company right behind them, too, with seven more players within two strokes.

That shouldn't come as a huge surprise, though. Over the last 17 years, this tournament has been decided by two strokes or less 14 times. The average margin of victory is also just 1.82 strokes. In other words, expect two things this week: a lot of birdies and a lot of lead changes. -- Brian Wacker

KIM, CADDIE PART WAYS (2:45 p.m.): Eric Larson, who caddied for Anthony Kim much of the last two years, including his two victories last season and this year's Presidents Cup, has been let go.

On the bag for Kim this week -- and what sounds like the immediate future -- is former University of Oklahoma teammate Brodie Flanders.

"Obviously, I was disappointed," Larson told GOLF CHANNEL's Randall Mell, adding that he was informed of the change at THE TOUR Championship presented by Coca-Cola. "I would love to continue caddying for Anthony."

In the meantime, Flanders will be on the bag for the rest of this week, three overseas events and Tiger Woods' tournament in December. If all goes well, Flanders could be on the bag for next season, too.

Kim will tee off in the first round in Las Vegas shortly. -- Brian Wacker

Sip of Maginnes

FURYK AND THE FALL (2:15 p.m.): Jim Furyk said that he has been wanting to come back to Las Vegas since they moved the tournament to the fall. He said that since he was already on the West Coast that this would be a perfect opportunity. The three-time winner of the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open hasn't won on the PGA TOUR since the 2007 Canadian Open. Furyk spoke candidly about the fact that the more than two-year absence from the winner's circle was another factor in his decision to add Las Vegas as his last stop of the year. Furyk also said that you can't start the week thinking about winning the golf tournament -- the key is to put yourself in position. And with three consecutive birdies on his second nine, Furyk, now 5 under, has done just that. -- John Maginnes

NOT SO 'SIM'PLE (1:55 p.m.): One player not in the field in Las Vegas this week is Michael Sim, who earned a battlefield promotion to the PGA TOUR by winning three times this year on the Nationwide Tour. With a number of players with higher status already in the field, Sim has been on the outside looking in -- something that could happen the rest of the Fall Series, depending how the rest of the fields shape up.

"You have guys from q-school, guys from the Nationwide Tour last year who earned their spots, I don't feel like I should be in front of them, but I obviously had a great season," Sim told GOLF CHANNEL during the Nationwide Tour's Miccosukee Championship, where he shot an opening-round 1-under 70. "I think they should either get rid of [the Battlefield promotion] or maybe add an extra spot ... I'm not sure. That's something Tim [Finchem] is going to have to sort out."

That said, Sim is happy to be back on the golf course -- he took six weeks off during the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup before returning at the Turning Stone Championship.

"Obviously I'm looking forward to getting back [to the TOUR] next year," Sim added. "I feel like my game has improved since 2007. Now I just have to wait and see." -- Brian Wacker

TOMS NEAR THE TOP (1:40 p.m.): David Toms hasn't played since he tied for 13th at THE TOUR Championship presented by Coca-Cola. Nor has he played in Las Vegas since 1998.

Maybe he likes new beginnings, though. Toms, who tied for second in his first start of 2009 and added two more runner-up finishes this year, is 3 under through 12 holes and two shots off the lead held by Tim Petrovic, Mark Wilson and Brian Bateman. -- Helen Ross

REBEL YELL (1:25 p.m.): In addition to a Presidents Cup presence, the University of Nevada-Las Vegas is well represented at the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open with five former Rebels in the field.

Of those five (see chart below), Ryan Moore has had the best season with a win and four top-10s while making 14 of 25 cuts. -- Brian Wacker

PRESIDENTS CUP PRESENCE (1 p.m.): With The Presidents Cup having just wrapped up out in San Francisco, it was a no-brainer for a few players to enter this week's tournament given its proximity. Plus, there's Justin Timberlake, among other celebrities, and for guys like Hunter Mahan and Anthony Kim, the Lakers are in town for an NBA preseason game.

The other two players from The Presidents Cup who are in the field this week are Jim Furyk -- he's won here three times and has over $2.1 million in career earnings in the desert -- and Tim Clark, who is still seeking that elusive first victory.

Speaking of Furyk, he's already 2 under through his first 10 holes. The other three Presidents Cup players tee off later this afternoon. -- Brian Wacker

Leishman

ROOKIE RACE (12:35 p.m.): It looked like Marc Leishman wrapped up Rookie of the Year honors when he was the only first-year player to make THE TOUR Championship presented by Coca-Cola.

But the season's not over yet.

Since no rookies have won in 2009 -- something that hasn't happened since 1998 -- the honor is still up for grabs. The top rookie is determined by a PGA TOUR player vote, and those pros could be swayed by a win in the Fall Series.

Two rookies to watch so far this week are Jeff Klauk, who's currently in the top 10 at TPC Summerlin. The 31-year-old Nationwide Tour alum grew up around the TOUR (his dad worked as the superintendent at TPC Sawgrass for years) and finally earned his card last season. Klauk has notched two top-10 finishes this season.

Another is Scott Piercy, who's in an early tie for second at the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open. There's still plenty of golf left, of course, but this TOUR newcomer has contended several times already this season with seven top-25s.

At least we know that Las Vegas event is kind to rookies -- Marc Turnesa was in his first season on TOUR when he won there last year. -- Lauren Deason

VYING FOR A SPOT (12:25 p.m. ET): There are four events remaining for those players trying keep their PGA TOUR playing privileges for 2010. It's certainly early yet at the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open, but Eric Axley, Brian Bateman and Joe Ogilvie are among those hoping to make a move.

Axley started the week ranked 208th but he's currently 2 under through six holes. He finds himself in this situation because he's only made seven cuts in 27 starts with a best finish of a tie for 42nd at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans.

Also at 2 under are Brian Bateman, who birdied his first two holes, and Joe Ogilvie. Bateman is ranked 232nd while Ogilvie is 131st. Bateman is looking for his first paycheck since the HP Byron Nelson Championship, where he tied for 52nd, in May.

Ogilvie has more form to fall back on -- and good vibes in Nevada. He finished fourth at the Legends Reno-Tahoe Open two months ago.

You can check who needs to make a move by looking at the color-coded $ column on the far left side of the leaderboard. -- Helen Ross

Groups We're Watching

Tee time Players   10:28 a.m. ET, Hole No. 10 Jim Furyk, Mark Wilson, David Toms Three players in the top 30 on the money list are all going off early on Thursday. Will Furyk end his two-year victory drought this week? 3:08 p.m. ET, Hole No. 10 Nick Watney, Rory Sabbatini, Stephen Ames Watney, who's No. 12 on the money list, seeks his second victory of 2009 and his first since February at the Buick Invitational. 3:08 p.m. ET, Hole No. 1 Anthony Kim, Nathan Green, J.B. Holmes Fresh off a solid appearance at The Presidents Cup, Kim returns to the tournament scene looking for his first win of the season.

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