Island Packet Verizon Heritage 2008 Coverage | Harbour Town, Sea Pines Resort, Hilton Head Island, SC

Ken Duke, who is tied for 14th at the Verizon Heritage after opening with a 3-under-par 68 Thursday, admits he wasn’t ready for his first foray into the PGA Tour.

In his rookie season, 2004, the Arizona resident missed the cut in 16 of 30 events, finished just 166th on the money list and didn’t retain his full PGA Tour playing privileges for the next season.

“I didn’t know what to expect out here,” said Duke, who won the Nationwide Tour’s money title in 2006 and returned to the PGA Tour the next year. “... I knew my game wasn’t at a level to compete, maybe make some cuts, but not to win or even top-10.”

Duke said that experience eventually made him a better player, though, and his results back that up. He won the 2006 Nationwide Tour money title to regain a PGA Tour exemption. In 2007, he made 24 of 31 cuts and finished 37th on the money list.

This season hasn’t been as smooth — he’s made just three of 10 cuts — but tied for sixth at last month’s Arnold Palmer Invitational, his second career top 10.

Hot start

Sure, he’s only a shot off the lead, which ordinarily would be cause for celebration for a guy looking for his first PGA Tour win. But after the way Jay Williamson’s first round started, he can’t help but kick himself about the final result.

Williamson reeled off birdies on his first five holes Thursday, matching the best start to a round on the PGA Tour this season and grabbing a share of the lead, even if it was fleeting.

He made bogey at the par-4 eighth to slip a shot off the lead and bobbed around the top of the leaderboard before making birdie at the par-4 18th and settling for a 4-under-par 67 and a tie for third, along with nine others.

“It was an incredible start, so I’m a little disappointed,” Williamson said. “It’s nice to birdie the last hole, but I’m disappointed in the way I finished. ... When you can make birdies, you need to take advantage of it. This golf course will get you at some point.”

A group behind Williamson, Brian Davis also got off to a scorching start with a 5-under 31 on the front nine. But he gave one back on the back side and finished at 4 under.

This and that

The front nine at Harbour Town was rather tame Thursday. It played nearly a shot easier in relation to par than the back nine, and let up some blistering numbers, including D.J. Trahan’s 6-under-par 30 on the front (his second nine of the day). In all, the scoring average on the par-36 front nine was 35.697, while the average on the par-35 back nine was 35.955. ... Cameron Beckman and Y.E. Yang both withdrew from the tournament after Thursday’s first round. Both cited illness. Both shot 9-over 80.