Parnevik, Duval Set Pace on Wet Track

By THOMAS BONK

Jan. 31, 1997 12 AM PT

TIMES STAFF WRITER

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. —

He has a tee stuck behind his ear and the bill of his cap flipped up.

But with his blond hair and blue eyes, Jesper Parnevik of Sweden looks a lot more like a fiord salesman than a golfer.

Nevertheless, in Thursday’s first round of the AT&T; Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, there was Parnevik, trudging along at Poppy Hills and claiming a muddy share of the lead.

Joining Parnevik at seven-under-par 65 was David Duval, who also played Poppy Hills in the wet grass and the sloppy mud and still wound up feeling pretty good about how the day went.

For instance, Duval didn’t lose his shoe in the mud even once, although he came close a couple of times when the ankle-deep stuff nearly sucked it right off his foot.

Duval had a simple philosophy on opening day at the rain-soaked courses on the Monterey Peninsula, where nearly 20 inches of rain have fallen this winter.

“I tried not to lose the ball,” Duval said.

There are more players close to the lead than you could shake an umbrella at.

Tom Lehman, Billy Andrade and Brian Henninger are only one shot behind at 66 and nine players are tied at 67, including Phil Mickelson, Nick Faldo, Mark Brooks, Mark O’Meara, Jim Furyk and Vijay Singh.

It has been a great start to the year for Parnevik, who finished third at the Bob Hope and second at Phoenix. So there probably was only one person surprised by his round Thursday.

That would be Parnevik, who felt so bad on the practice range before his tee time, he told his caddie he didn’t want to play.

“I could not hit one shot solid,” he said. “Not one ball went where I was aiming.”

Then there has to be an explanation for shooting a 65.

“Golf is so strange,” Parnevik said.

True enough. Tiger Woods probably would agree, especially after his slip-and-slide round of 70 at Spyglass that featured a bogey, a double bogey and five birdies.

Parnevik is from Stockholm, but he lives in South Palm Beach, Fla., and is playing his fourth year on the PGA Tour. He hasn’t won yet, but he thinks playing in the United States has helped him make some huge improvements in his game, not to mention his faculties.

For instance, he doesn’t hear voices, as he did before. He remembers how it felt.

“It was just chaos in the head,” Parnevik said. “In the beginning, your mind has that nasty guy in the back of your head.”

The only sound Parnevik paid any attention to Thursday was the rattling of the golf ball as it hit the bottom of the cup.

The birdies came in streaks. Parnevik birdied Nos. 8 through 11, then three of the last four.

“I’m as surprised as anyone else, really,” he said. “I was just hoping to hit it straight.”

Because of the soggy courses, the players were allowed to clean their balls and place them within a club length. Faldo, who missed only one green, said that advantage could have been worth as many as four shots.

Andrade said three tees had to be moved up at Spyglass, shortening the course by about 200 yards.

Add it up and 94 players in the field of 180 professionals broke par.

Duval finished Poppy Hills with nine birdies, a couple of bogeys and a great deal of relief.

“I am very happy to get out of there with a 65,” he said.

Lehman felt the same way after hitting every green at Pebble Beach, even though he ruined a pair of shoes during the round.

“This is about a three-shoe week,” he said.

In the wet stuff, that’s probably par for these courses.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

Leaders

After first round of the Pebble Beach National Pro-Am:

David Duval: 31-34--65 -7

Jesper Parnevik: 34-31--65 -7