Golf’s biggest names went low — and still weren’t pleased

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PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. – Kevin Streelman, a lifelong Chicago Bears fan, approached Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers before the start of their first round at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. “I respect the heck out of you,â€� Streelman told Rodgers, “but you’ve been beating the crap out of my Bears for 12 years.â€� On Thursday, Streelman pretty much beat the crap out of everybody who played Spyglass Hill, the toughest of the three courses in the tournament rotation. His 7-under 65 gave him a share of the lead with Beau Hossler, whose 65 came at Pebble Beach. Streelman’s amateur partner is Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald. Rodgers is partnering with Packers fans Jerry Kelly. Their group was the first off the No. 1 tee Thursday morning at Spyglass. It couldn’t have been a better day. Streelman not only went low, but he and Fitzgerald combined to go 14 under to lead the team portion by three shots. Plus, it was sunny, the pace of play was quick (by tournament standards) and the banter was light. “It’s a round I’ll remember, just because we played in under five hours in this event, we had a perfect day weather-wise, we were the first group out,â€� said Streelman, who credited a recent putting adjustment as a key to his bogey-free round. “They’re such great guys.â€� Fitzgerald certainly was impressed by his partner’s performance. He and Streelman are members of the same club in Arizona, so they’re quite comfortable as a team. “You just don’t see many people shoot 65 at Spyglass,â€� said Fitzgerald, a 13 handicapper. “That’s crazy.â€� Asked what his gameplan was once he saw Streelman was in the zone, Fitzgerald replied: “Just get out of his way. Don’t do anything that will get him out of his flow.â€� Mission accomplished. Streelman finally gave his Bears a measure of revenge. NOTABLES Defending champion Jordan Spieth shot even-par 72 at Spyglass. He made one early birdie at the fourth hole, gave the stroke back at the sixth hole, then parred out from there. Four-time AT&T Pebble Beach champ Phil Mickelson started off slow, suffering three bogeys in his first seven holes at Spyglass. But he made five birdies in his final eight holes to shoot 69. “A nice way to finish after not getting off to a great start,â€� Mickelson said. “It can be a difficult golf course but it’s also a course you play well, you’ll make some birdies. Unfortunately, I saw both ends of it today.â€� Mickelson was playing with Rory McIlroy, making his tournament debut this week. McIlroy shot 68, with birdies on each of the par 5s. McIlroy is playing with his dad, Gerry. Rory was taking his driver away on the 7th tee when he saw his dad’s shadow move, so he backed off the shot. He then blocked the tee shot way right, then sent his second shot into the water. He gritted his teeth and didn’t say anything to his dad. Rory’s reward? He chipped in for birdie. “So I was like, you’re forgiven,â€� Rory smiled. Jason Day is playing with Bachelor host Chris Harrison. When Day chipped in for birdie at the par-3 fifth at Spyglass, Harrison gave him a rose. “I was pretty happy with that,â€� said Day, who shot 69. Adam Scott, making his first start in this event in eight years, made the turn in 40 en route to a 5-over 77 at Spyglass Hill. “It wasn’t exactly what I wanted today, but it’s a process,â€� said Scott, who’s hoping to fine-tune his game going into next week’s event at Riviera. “The swing didn’t feel too bad, but I hit my clubs the wrong distances at times and left myself in bad spots. Didn’t leave myself easy chips and hit average putts from tough spots so it wasn’t good.” QUOTABLES I’ve definitely been trending in the right direction. I think I’ve kind of been one round away the last few weeks from having a pretty high finish.â€� It was just a full 8-iron and I hit it right where I was looking and it just fell in. Usually most courses, if you hit the fairway and hit the green and make the putt, it turns out all right. But with greens as good as they are here, there’s really not a whole lot of excuse. It’s just the most beautiful place in the world. It’s fantastic. It’s so relaxing to be by the ocean and play a fantastic golf course. It really is special.  SUPERLATIVES Lowest rounds (at each course) – Kevin Streelman’s 65 at Spyglass Hill; Beau Hossler’s 65 at Pebble Beach; Aaron Wise’s 66 at Monterey Peninsula Longest drive – 400 yards by Brendon de Jonge at the ninth hole at Pebble Beach. The next 14 longest drives were all on the 10th hole at Monterey Peninsula, led by Corey Conners’ 391 yards Longest putt – Branden Grace had a 55-foot birdie putt on the third hole at Pebble Beach en route to a 4-under 68 Hardest holes (at each course) – par-3 7th at Monterey Peninsula (3.250 stroke average); par-4 16th at Spyglass Hill (4.231); par-4 10th at Pebble Beach (4.212); Easiest holes (at each course) – par-4 10th at Monterey Peninsula (4.365); par-5 2nd at Pebble Beach (4.365); par-5 11th at Spyglass Hill (4.558). CALL OF THE DAY

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SYDNEY, Australia – International Team Captain Ernie Els says he will go for the guy with “the look in the eyeâ€� when it comes to taking on U.S. Team Captain Tiger Woods in Sunday singles at next week’s Presidents Cup. Els confirmed that his 12-man team had been posturing for a chance to take on the 82-time PGA TOUR winner man-on-man since Woods officially selected himself to play. RELATED: Predicting the partnerships | How Internationals can turn loss into gain A Woods win in singles at Royal Melbourne could be the catalyst the International Team needs to win the biennial team event for the first time since 1998, even if Els says the U.S. captain has lost the aura he once held. “I don’t think it’s the same kind of aura like in the past, I think it’s a different kind of aura … It’s more he’s a celebrity kind of aura,â€� Els said of Woods, who will become the first playing captain since Hale Irwin in 1994. “I’ll analyze how the guys are playing and see who’s really got the look in the eye. There are a lot of guys who have put their hands up to want to play Tiger … but I will not put a guy in there that’s going to feel overwhelmed. “Obviously he’s (still) very competitive. He’s won The Masters and won in Japan this year. When he’s healthy, he can play at a very high level, but consistently, he’s not what he used to be and that’s just what age does.â€� While the likes of veterans Adam Scott and Louis Oosthuizen might seem like logical choices to take on Woods, Els has seven rookies on his team and says he’s not afraid to use them. This includes Sungjae Im and Joaquin Niemann, who are both 21. “It’s a very young team. These guys, they never competed against Tiger like some of the other guys like Scotty have,â€� Els said. “The youngsters look up at him, but they definitely want to have a piece of him. So, we’ll see who I think can really play against Tiger the best and get the best result.â€� Of course with the back-and-forth nature of setting up matches in the Presidents Cup, Woods could be the man in control of who he plays. In the past, the 15-time major winner has earmarked a local star, or big name player, to set a tone for his side. In 1998 at Royal Melbourne, Woods insisted on playing against Australian Greg Norman, and while the U.S. suffered their only team defeat, Woods prevailed in his match. He also took on Els in South Africa in 2003, Mike Weir in Canada in 2007 and Aussie Aaron Baddeley back at Royal Melbourne in 2011. If it is to be a home-grown talent once more that leaves Scott, Marc Leishman or Cameron Smith in his sights. Former THE PLAYERS champion Scott is one of the players asking for it. “It’d be great to stick it to Tiger and the entire American team,â€� Scott said. “He’s the ultimate competitor; there’s no way he’s not doing everything possible coming down here as a captain, and a player, to win this event. There’s no way he wants to be captain of a losing U.S. team. “It’s going to be very difficult, but we have to believe we can beat him and I believe we can win next week.â€� While Sunday strategy is part of the big game plan from Els, the South African legend has tried to shift his players concerns to the opening three days of competition where Four-ball and Foursomes take center stage. Given the Internationals have trailed heading to Sunday in the last six editions of the competition, he is wise to do so. “I’m really focused on the first couple of sessions. We’ve got four sessions before we get to the singles. There’s a lot of golf to be played,â€� Els said. Els says his data-driven pairings in the team portion may surprise people but he’s determined to see his blueprint through in order to provide an upset at Royal Melbourne. “There are a couple of pairings that are kind of natural pairings, if you can call it that, but I’m looking at it in a different way, not just a personality way. I’m looking at how the guys can really perform together. So, stay tuned,â€� Els said. “My pairings are on my phone and we’ve looked at quite a few different scenarios. I’ve spoken to the players … and my plan is kind of set in motion already.â€�

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