GLOVER RECEIVES THE CELEBRITY TREATMENT

Touring the Empire State Building and rounding the talk show circuit made U.S . Open winner Lucas Glover an instant celebrity. He expected things to return to normal Thursday during his first round of the Travelers Championship at TPC River Highlands, but the crowds served as a constant reminder that things aren't what they used to be. "I hadn't ever gotten walk-ups [people stopping at the green] whether I've missed the green or not," said Glover, who is tied for eighth with eight others after a 5-under-par 65. "It was nice. Great fans here in Hartford and they've been very respectful and very nice to me. It's been great." Though Glover participated in the Celebrity Pro-Am on Wednesday, he said he found a sense of relief in getting back to the course and participating in regular competition Thursday. "[Wednesday] was good to shake off some cobwebs, and I didn't really know what to expect when I had to count score," he said of his six-birdie, one-bogey round. "But I did all right. I did well. I was a little better mentally than I thought, so I'm pretty pleased." 'A BEAUTIFUL THING' Tag Ridings hit a 9-iron at the 155-yard 11th to record the tournament's first hole-in-one since 2007. "I just hit it behind the hole and sucked it back in the jar. It was a beautiful thing," said Ridings (66). "I had no idea. I was playing with John Merrick and he called it right after I hit it, right in the air. He said, 'Drinks!' and he was right." RICKY ON THE REBOUND If Ricky Barnes is in a funk after his disappointing finish at the U.S. Open, he didn't show it. He shot a 65 and was among the leaders, performing well in his first outing since he shot a 76 in the final round at Bethpage Black on Monday. "I took a lot of stress off myself by being in the middle of the fairways and hitting quality shots," he said. "I really got in the moment for 18 holes." Barnes' showing came after he stumbled to tie for second behind Glover in the U.S. Open. "I wanted to come out and rebound," Barnes said. "It reminded me of the first round last week - really solid, hit a lot of greens, had a lot of good looks. If I wasn't making birdies, I had a lot of stress-free par putts." CROSSING THE LINE When Sergio Garcia drove into the pond at 17, he was in no mood to hear heckling from the gallery. But one fan used the occasion to remind Garcia of the United States' 2-0 win over his native Spain in soccer's Confederations Cup on Wednesday. "Not great timing," Garcia said of the remark. Still, Garcia praised the U.S. team. "It doesn't bother me," he said. "I'm happy for the U.S. that they won. Spain had their chances and unfortunately, the U.S. defense was very good." PRAISE FOR SANDY Stewart Cink, after playing with Sandy Koufax, on who would be on Cink's all-time playing-with list: "Sandy, Nicklaus, Tiger and Larry Bird. I played with a lot of people and I'd put him in there." . . . Cink (71) said he played "awful" Thursday. He had to take a penalty shot for having his ball move in the fairway right before he hit his approach to the left of the green at No. 3. DR. KELLY SAYS Jerry Kelly (65) joked that he has already benefited from the honorary degree awarded to him Monday by the University of Hartford, his alma mater. "If the course is giving it up, if you play well, it's going to give it up to you, too," he said. "Now that I'm a doctor, I'm starting to learn things." . . . David Toms was happy with his 65, but he was also happy with his alma mater LSU winning the College World Series. "I watched it [Wednesday night] and everyone was texting me and calling me," he said. "I got 150 text messages." To recognize the achievement of his Tigers, Toms wore a College World Series pin on his visor. . . . J.J. Henry (66) had an idea that things would go well for him when he began with an eagle on the par-4, 434-yard first. "It was definitely a nice way to get the morning started," he said. "I'm not really necessarily an early riser, so to get out here practicing before 7 and then step up there and hit a great drive on one and the nice [gap] wedge in there, one bounce in the hole, is definitely a good feeling." . . . Brett Quigley (knee) withdrew (knee) and was replaced by Frank Lickliter II. . . . Dustin Johnson withdrew after his round of 68 because of a wrist injury. . . . The previous first-round record of 62 was held by George Cadle (1979), Jim Simons (1980), Jonathan Kaye (2001), Corey Pavin (2004) and Hunter Mahan (2007). . . . Attendance was estimated at 20,000.