- A World Championship After All:  International players are certainly right to complain that when every event is played in the United States, the title “World Golf Championship” is at best a misnomer, and at worst downright offensive.  But one look at Thursday’s leaderboard at the WGC-CA Championship indicates that on the golf course at least, the event remains highly international.  Indeed, among the top 18 finishers, only four hail from the United States – more than any other single country, granted, but representing a percentage well shy of the sort of domination routinely demonstrated by American golfers from the late 1920s right up into the 1990s.  So yes, the internationals are right to gripe about always having to travel here to play in these things, but at least they’ll have the satisfaction of taking a whole lot of American dollars with them when they go home.
 
- Small Fishes In A Big Pond: With he exception of the Match Play (which simply seeds the top 64 players in the world) one major charm of the WGC events is that, much like the Masters, they offer the stars of the distant Asian, South African and Japan tours an exempted opportunity to venture onto the international stage with the big boys.  Once upon a time, such appearances might well have seemed only ceremonial; indeed, when a Chen Ching-Po, Pete Nakamura or Takaaki Kono made the cut at Augusta, it was generally hailed as news.  So what about today?  Tied for 9th at Doral are Japan’s Toru Taniguchi and Ryuji Imada (though Imada has resided stateside since his teens), as well as India’s Jeev Milkha Singh, all of whom shot four-under-par 68s.  Also notable among players who are not regulars in either America or Europe was Thailand’s Chapchai Nirat, whose 70 places him tied for 28th.  Fairing less well were South Africa’s Andrew McCLardy, James Kingston and Louis Oosthuizen, India’s S.S.P. Chowrasia, and China’s Liang Wen-Chong, all of whom carded two-over-par 74s.

- Quotable: "He was laying back and I'm 40 yards ahead of him on most holes, yet he shoots 66 and beats me by 3 shots. He really thinks his way around a golf course." - Sean O'Hair on Tiger Wood's performance at Bay Hill.

Thursday's Round of the Day

On Doral's famed Blue Monster course, Geoff Ogilvy birdied five of his first eight holes, then added two more at the 12th and downwind 18th to card a 65 at the WGC-CA Championships.  As one of the few players other than Tiger woods to claim a WGC title, it was a nice beginning...