Opening round at the Cognizant Classic features bird feathers, shots from the mud and hole-outs

Ryan Gerard appeared to clip a bird with a tee shot. David Ford spent a few minutes in the mud, then went about an hour without using his putter. It looked like Gerard hit a bird on the 207-yard, par-3 seventh hole; replays showed feathers in the air as his shot made its way to the hole, after the bird flew into the path of the ball shortly after Gerard made contact.

By TIM REYNOLDS