As he left the tee box at No. 15, Bob Estes' caddie pulled a bottle of water from the bag, made sure the lid was sealed tight and tossed it over to him.
It hit Estes right in the hands, but he couldn't hold on. That was one of the very few flubs the 33-year-old Texan committed Thursday in the opening round of The Players Championship in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.Before the wind kicked up and the sun baked the greens, Estes shot a 4-under-par 68 to finish tied for the lead with Brian Watts.
Watts overcame a triple bogey on his second hole to get into contention, conjuring memories of his second-place finish at the British Open last year.
He and Estes entered today's second round one shot ahead of Hal Sutton, Joe Ozaki and hometown favorite David Duval, who all finished at 3-under 69.
A group of nine, including Tiger Woods, finished at 70. Another 13 players were at 71, including Curtis Strange, the struggling Nick Faldo and two-time Players champion Steve Elkington.
Ten players had rounds in the 80s on a day in which the average score was 74.5. John Daly started with a triple bogey on No. 1 and finished with an 83.
Daly's courtesy car was in the parking lot early Friday morning, but only to check out. For the second time in two years, he withdrew. Kenny Perry also dropped out after opening with an 80.
For at least one day, everyone but one player in the field was chasing Estes, the 12-year tour veteran with just one career victory.
Although his success has been limited, he seems to understand the essence of this tournament, considered a "fifth major" by most of those on tour.
"This is the kind of tournament where you want to get off to a fast start, because you know the golf course can play much tougher as the week goes along," Estes said. "Usually, the greens get just firmer and faster as time goes by."
NABISCO DINAH SHORE: Meg Mallon captured two majors in 1991 and hasn't won one since.
The way she opened the Nabisco Dinah Shore, however, Mallon served noticed she might be on her way to ending that long drought.
Hitting fairways and greens with almost uncanny accuracy, Mallon shot a 6-under-par 66 Thursday for a 2-stroke lead after the first round of the women's first major of the year, in Rancho Mirage, Calif.
Kris Tschetter, looking for her second tour win and first since 1992, was alone in second with a 68.
Defending champion Pat Hurst, playing well despite the fact she's six months pregnant, was in four-way tie for third at 69. Helen Alfredsson, the 1993 Dinah Shore champion, also was 3-under, along with Kelly Robbins and Janice Moodie.
Annika Sorenstam, the Tour's Player of the Year three of the past four years, but winless in her four 1999 starts, shot a 70 on the par-72, 6,460-yard Mission Hills Country Club course.