THURSDAY: OPENING DAY

Note the finger in the frame


ALL HANDS ON DECK

Living in the greater Hilton Head Island area and not climbing the Harbour Town Lighthouse is a lot like living in New York City and never setting foot on Ellis Island or on the Empire State Building's observation deck.

With that in mind, it was time to correct of miscarriage of habitual rites on Thursday. I climbed and conquered the venerable 93-foot-tall tourist turet that stands guard over Harbour Town Golf Links' 18th green.

Atop awaits a breathtaking view of the Calibogue Sound - and not just because it's 114 steps straight up. Even with 30,000 fans-a-day packing into the narrows of Harbour Town Golf Links, visiters to the lighthouse do not increase this week. Fans are complacent in walking the 6,973 yards (the equivalent of 225 trips up the lighthouse) of the golf course. New this year to the house is a spotlight that carries the marina and shines on the old oak tree at night.

SPEAKING OF ON TOP

While I was climbing stairs, Alex Cejka was ascending the leaderboard. The German finished the opening round with a Thursday-best 7-under-par, 64. One has to wonder that if the Cejka (pronounced CHAY-ka) wins, if he'll be given the same hyper-celebrity status that the folks at the Verizon Heritage, as well as the fans and media, showered upon two-time defending champ and Southern beau Boo Weekley.

After all, Cejka isn't without his own sense of mis-guided flair, such as Weekley, the father of redneck golf.

Check out this excerpt from the PGA media guide:

Thinking he had missed the cut at the third-round cut at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, (Cejka) flew home to Las Vegas. Upon hearing that the cut wasn't being instituted, (he) caught a flight from Las Vegas back to Houston, rented a car and drove through the night to New Orleans, arriving the next morning. Playing with borrowed clubs and clothes, (he) shot a final round 71, his best round of the week to finish T75.

In Cejka's defense, Brandt Jobe and Retief Goosen also had to return to the course after leaving town when they found out there was no cut.

NAME GAME

Alex Cejka isn't the only one playing the 41st annual Verizon Heritage this week with a name that has to be followed up with a (pronunciation box). Here's a list of some of the names in this year's field that don't quite read the way they're pronounced:

Peter Jacobson (YOCK-ub-son)

Charlie Wi (Wee)

Camilio Villegas (kuh-ME-lo bee-JAY-guy)

Jose Marie Olazabal (OH-lah-thaw-bull)

NUMBERED NAME GAME

Strange names are common in golf, but what about numbered names? There are three players with week that afix digits to their moniker. See, in descending order, Davis Love III, Charles Howell III and Tommy Armour II. That's seven generations of un-creative families. What ever happened to Jr's?

- Christopher C. Wuensch I (WUNCH)