LA JOLLA, Calif. -- Life is good for Kevin Streelman, who was married less than three weeks ago and has extended his honeymoon to encompass a place that from his vantage point is just on this side of paradise. "I do enjoy this golf course," Streelman said of the South Course at Torrey Pines, where he opened with a three-under-par 68 Thursday afternoon that gave him a share of the first-round lead in the U.S. Open.

It was here in January that Streelman, a Duke graduate and PGA Tour rookie, was the last alternate admitted to the field at the Buick Invitational, then played his way into contention and a Saturday pairing with Tiger Woods. He eventually tied for 29th, which paid him $33,000 and dividends that he hopes to collect here.

"I was the last alternate. I got in Thursday morning and all of a sudden I was paired with Tiger Woods," he said of the Buick. "To this day it was one of the coolest days of my life. The main thing I took out of it was the necessity of rest. It's wearing on you, playing with Tiger, under scrutiny. It drains you."

Though the South Course is playing substantially different than it did in January, Streelman is comfortable with it, despite the thick kikuyu rough and fast greens that cost him a stroke on his 17th hole and kept him from leading outright.

"It's the lines off the tee," he said. "They suit my eyes well. And I drove it well today and my iron play was pretty solid."

--John Strege

In preparation for its first foray into drug testing beginning July 1, the PGA Tour held two separate meetings last week before the Buick Invitational. Players were informed about details, prohibited substances and procedures. Several golfers voiced objections to the possible scenario of being examined in their homes, even during off-weeks. Inasmuch as the tour's policy was not collectively bargained, because golfers do not have a union, some think the scope of the system could constitute a violation of privacy.

"There is no question in my mind what they've done is not right," said Frank Lickliter II. "Not only did the tour ram this thing down our throats, they're telling us they can come knocking on my door on Christmas Eve and ask me for a urine sample. Are they kidding? They're passing that off as legal? I can tell you one thing for sure, if some inspector guy comes around with a cup in his hand, he's going to have a hard time getting on my property. And then he's going to have an even harder time getting off my property after I'm done with him."

Lickliter aired his complaint during the afternoon seminar attended by several dozen fellow pros. He said that later on, commissioner Tim Finchem told him not to worry. "Tim said even though it's written in the policy that they can test us anytime, anywhere, nobody will be coming to our houses," Lickliter went on. "Well, that's nice of Tim to tell me that while I'm still hot. Meanwhile, it's still there in black and white on a piece of paper that they can do whatever they want. This isn't like baseball, where the players have to approve whatever measures management tries to impose on them. They just threw this at us and told us, 'This is the new law.'"

Finchem said that drug testing is not his favorite pursuit, but "it unfortunately can't be avoided. This is part of the world of sports today. Testing by definition is a process that speaks to the notion that you don't believe a player when he says he's following the rule."

Finchem rued that such a mindset is "counter to the culture" of golf, where participants call penalties on themselves and therefore "something that's troubled me for a long time." Finchem concluded that drug testing as such will be "difficult for the players, and difficult for all of us as we get into that arena."

-- Bob Verdi

LA JOLLA, Calif.--Anthony Kim is not aging before our eyes (though it should be noted that he's no longer the youngest member of the PGA Tour), but he is determined to mature before our eyes, to wit: heretofore known more for his mouth, he's now all ears.

Kim, 22 (tour rookie Jason Day is 20), has been mentored by Mark O'Meara, with whom he partnered in the Merrill Lynch Shootout in December, and he began listening, attempting to absorb some of the wisdom that O'Meara had to impart.

"He just said, 'patience,' about 84 times," Kim said, explaining that he's attempting to take away from his budding friendship with O'Meara. "I had to get it through my head."

The payoff may already have begun. In the first start of his second season on the PGA Tour, Kim tied for third at the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic last week. Then on Thursday, a cool, wet day at Torrey Pines G.C., Kim shot a four-under par 68 on the North Course, which placed him on the Buick Invitational leader board.

"I'm playing smarter," he said. "I've been trying to do that the
last six tournament rounds (five at the Hope, one at the Buick). I've been playing with guys like Mark O'Meara and Jeff Sluman and I'm playing a lot smarter than I would have.

"We made a pretty dumb par (at the Merrill Lynch Shootout), and it was like water off his (O'Meara's) back. In the past I would have been hot. Patience, he said. I had to get it through my head."

O'Meara and Kim played three rounds together at the Merrill Lynch Shootout and also had dinner together a couple of times there.

"He wants to win," O'Meara said. "He's got a little bit of an attitude, but he's grown up a lot."

O'Meara cited an interview he overhead last year, when Kim said he could not understand why he hasn't won yet. "You're not going to win every week," O'Meara told him. "If you try and force it too hard you're
always going to get in your own way. So you've got to let it come to you and be patient. Then when you win, it will build on itself. You'll learn from that."

--John Strege
(Photo: Harry How/Getty Images)

LA JOLLA, Calif.--The Buick Invitational will be played with heightened interest this week, starting with the fact that Tiger Woods will be attempting to win here for the fourth straight year. He also is seeking his third straight PGA Tour victory in this, his season debut.

There also is the fact that Phil Mickelson is making his season debut, though for a time that seemed in jeopardy as a result of a respiratory ailment that kept him in bed for a few days. After three days of antibiotics, he said he felt good enough to play in the pro-am Wednesday morning and expects to work with teacher Butch Harmon in the afternoon.

"I'm feeling much, much better," Mickelson said in a statement through his representatives, Gaylord Sports Management. "I'm happy about that and looking forward to working with Butch to make sure everything's in order for this week."

There is the site, too, Torrey Pines G.C. in La Jolla. The South Course at Torrey Pines is the 2008 U.S. Open venue, so the Buick Invitational is doubling as a homework assignment for many in the field.

The tournament marks the return of Kelly Tilghman to the Golf Channel booth, ending her two-week suspension.

Finally, there were the mandatory players' meetings on Tuesday in which the PGA Tour's new drug policy was explained in detail.

In other words, it's not just another week on the PGA Tour.

-- John Strege