Preface: this from a perspective of a guy that plays the white tees every time on the Black.
1 - straightforward
2 - on 2 they were hitting hybrids or 3-woods from the far back tee. Except Justin Leonard, he hit driver. Gary Woodland hit it in the left rough and had to pitch out, could not make it to the green.
3 - new far back tee-box on #3 plays ~223 to front right, ~250 to back left. Kenny Perry hit the prettiest most solid drawing 4-iron you ever saw to about 10-feet, and then he almost walked into a club in the forehead as one of his playing partners had stepped up to hit quick a second ball.
4- straightforward. Geoff Ogilvy hit the front edge of the green in two, from the back tees. Marshall said he was the only guy to do so but it was still early. Said a couple did the day before.
5 - straightforward. Gary Woodland hit it 40yds past the bunkers from the next to last tee-box. I read some on him after getting home and apparently his clubhead speed it 135 and ball-speed 195, Tiger is 125 and 179 by comparison. He was a full 100yds past Justin Leonard on #5. Randy Smith says he's hands down the longest player out there that swings at it "normal" -- says he's a freak. Dude looks VERY strong, played a season of scholarship college basketball before switching to golf.
6 - straightforward. Hyrbrids and 3-woods from the back tees, even for J. Leonard. I asked the marshall if anyone was hitting driver and they said not a one. I bet nobody goes for the green all week, Gary Woodland being the possible exception! Dustin Johnson hit hybrid from the back tee and was just at the cusp of the downslope, it was an awesome shot.
7 - on 7 the guys I was following played from right where we play it, one guy (Gary Woodland) hit 3-wood + iron to reach the green easily (hole high anyway, not sure it was on the green). Having said that they were hitting the second from about 205. Dustin Johnson hit driver and had about 165 in. The far back tee will not be in use, it's outside the ropes. That newer tee that is behind the one we play, appears that it will be in use, they had the netting over most of it to keep the players from tearing it up. Hole plays like 525 from there, just absurd, no way Justin Leonard can get it there in two shots (lasered about 260 on a conservative line to carry the bunker ++ whatever distance needed to get to the fairway). Gary Woodland would just bust driver right over the tree no problem!!
8 - they had the netting on the far back tee, and the far FORWARD tee. From the back tee it was 195 to that front-right pin we see a lot. Only 145 from the front tee. I think you'll see that front tee at least twice this week. Add 25yds to everything for the back right pin. They all hit it tight from the back tee except Justin Leonard who flared it into the tree, 195, "no big deal". (group included Dustin Johnson, Gary Woodland, J. Leonard and Ricky Fowler who is one of the top US based amateurs -- Fowler fun to watch, gets VERY flat on downswing, and don't blink or you'll miss his swing, VERY FAST!)
9 - they were blowing it right over the bunker from the set of tees behind ours, but they did not hit from the far back tees. Far back tees were netted so prob will be used. Even the longest hitters will have to stay right of the bunkers from those far back tees, I think. Pairings sheet says 460 from back, I think it plays longer.
10 - they had it on the far back and those dudes were hitting lasers, but I can only imagine how far a guy like Justin Leonard had to hit his second shot. Wonder if he could even reach the green. The pairings sheet I have shows that one listed at 508.
11 - I did not go out to 10 green, or 11.
12 - again they had tees all the way back. Guys like Ian Poulter were not cutting off much, just hitting it over the right 1/3 of the bunker. And they weren't carrying it by much. They were so far back I didn't think they could get an iron there. Ian wailed away with an iron, not sure where it went.
13 - nobody going for it in two, all laying up after hitting from the new way-back tee. There is ZERO roll in the fairways. Hell, it gets much wetter they may have to play lift/clean/place. The walkways and common areas are a quagmire.
14 - standard front left pin, playing 145. Ryuji Imada hit it 2-feet, Boo hit it in the bunker. Some of the guys were putting up to that little back right area that is new...will be crazy to see the pin there. Massive grandstands all the way around the back of the green. As soft as the ground is I wonder about the integrity of some of those stands. By the way, Boo is really fat, he needs to take better care of himself. He and his caddy move very slow, especially the caddy -- bet he moved a lot faster when he was in Iraq!
15 - a freaking brute. Zach Johnson hit a solid tee-shot and had to hit 3-wood into the green, and missed it right. Keep an eye on this kid Kyle Stanley, amateur. He won the Columbus qualifier by shooting a 10-birdie 62 in the morning, and a 2-under 70 in the afternoon. He hits it 30-35yds past Zach every time, but I guess a lot do. What did Zach play the par-'s in at the Masters, 12-under? Never went for a one.
16 - tough too. Zach pushed one right and then teed up another and flushed it as well as he can, still had 205 in from the rough. He caught a good lie and had to hit a hybrid but did get it on the green. No way he would have hit first tee shot to the green, would have been laying up for sure. Sign says this one playing 490 from the back.
17 - back of back tees playing 205, they were hitting lasers to the front right pin. Zach hit it in there about 4-feet. They are so precise that they are hitting it onto the ridge just to right-center of green and then letting it drift down to the front right pin, this from 205.
18 - they are almost all laying up just short of the bunkers. They don't seem to want anything to do with those bunkers. Approach shots from the 170-185 range, tough shot for us, wasn't giving them any problem at all.
Greenside - tough to tell much as they weren't really playing them as they lay. Once they get to the green they throw down 2-3 balls and putt all over the, chip from spots, bunkers, etc...
All in all it was a good day. I got there at 7.10am, crowds were small. By the time I got back across the road to 15 (around 11.30am)everything on that side of the road was packed...gonna be UGLY on the weekend if there is any decent weather at all.
Tickets are still all over craigslist for healthy discounts if you need 'em.