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Four aces holed in first round The Oswego, N.Y., resident shook off the pesky sting to record an 8-under par score, good enough for one-stroke lead on the par-71 course. "I guess the bee didn't sting me long enough," Branshaw said. "The paramedics came out after 10 minutes, and they said if I'm not dead by now, 'you're OK.' I was afraid of my finger getting swelled up. "There's nothing like the feeling of being in contention." Monday's rain created golfer-friendly conditions at Willow Creek Country Club. The pros took advantage, too, as nearly two-thirds of the field of 156 finished under par. Brendon Todd enjoyed a near-record start and reached 9-under. Todd bogeyed 16 and 18 to finish tied for second. Todd blazed to a 6-under start after the first five holes, including an eagle on the 544-yard first hole. He birdied the next four holes and made the turn at 29-under par. Kyle Thompson, playing with new clubs and a new ball, led early, taking a 7-under score into the clubhouse after the morning round. Thompson, one of seven golfers in the field with PGA cards who were eliminated for this week's FedExCup event, the BMW Championship, chose to play the Utah Championship. He recently discovered that his irons were off by 2 or 3 degrees. "I didn't hit it very good," Thompson said. "My putting was awesome and my short game was good. On 12, I spun one out for eagle." Those who went off in the morning group took advantage of the more forgiving conditions at Willow Creek thanks to rain earlier in the week. A Nationwide record four aces came from the morning group - Peter Tomasulo, Chris Stroud, Jonathon Fricke and Brian Stuard. "The greens were nice and firm," Thompson said. "The fairways were a little softer than I'm used to. If it stays that way, you'll see a lot of low scores." As the day wore on, however, the greens became firmer and golfers had to contend with a late-afternoon breeze that was estimated at 15 miles per hour. In addition, "It takes a while to get yardages because we're at altitude," said Colt Knost, 6-under par and one of three players with two Nationwide victories in 2008. One more means an automatic PGA card. Other notables include Utahns Daniel Summerhays at 5-under and Clay Ogden at 3-under. Former PGA veteran and BYU All-American Bobby Clampett shot 5-under. Leaders E-mail: martyr@sltrib.com
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