Brendan Steele opened the Farmers Insurance Open yesterday at the Torrey Pines Golf Course with a five-under-par performance that puts him in a tie for 11th place, two shots behind the leaders going into today’s second round.

The Idyllwild native collected seven birdies against two bogeys on the North Course. His drives were consistent, his irons were sharp, and his putting was strong. Lee Trevino is credited with saying: “Two things don’t last long: dogs chasing cars and pros putting for pars.” Steele was putting for birdies, getting some, and tapping in pars all day. He had very few real putts for par.

Because, as usual, most of the first-day leaders at Torrey Pines played the North Course, which is considered a few strokes easier than the South Course, it is difficult to make comparisons after one round at Torrey. So K.J. Choi, who scored seven under par on the South Course on Thursday, could be thought of as leading the tournament over Brandt Snedecker, who shot the same score on the North Course.

Today, Steele tees off at 9:20 at the 10th tee on the tougher South Course. That tee is located more than a half-mile from the practice putting green at the club house, so if you’re going out to watch him Friday morning, be sure to allow time to walk to the tee from there. (The pros get to ride.)