He finished his opening round Thursday at the Transitions Championship by holing out a bunker shot for birdie on the 18th hole, then happily shared memories of his first trip to the White House and a St. Patrick’s Day celebration with President Barack Obama.

Garrett Willis, who only learned two weeks ago that he received an exemption to his hometown event, made five birdies on the back for a 6-under 65 and a two-shot lead over defending champion Retief Goosen and five others.

Maggert was the seventh alternate at one point, and he was home in Houston on Wednesday clearing out dead palm trees from his yard when he caught the last flight to Tampa. Maggert arrived at Innisbrook to learn Vijay Singh had withdrawn because of a back injury, then shot a 4-under 67 to join Goosen, Jim Furyk, Carl Pettersson, Jonathan Byrd and PGA Tour rookie Rickie Fowler.

Maggert’s only problem was soreness from doing so much yard work, that a sloppy bogey on the par-5 11th hole.

“I enjoy the golf course,” Maggert said. “I wish I didn’t have to wait until the last minute to get in, but it just worked out.”

Goosen already is a two-time winner at Innisbrook—once in the autumn, once in the spring—and continues to rely on a belly putter and a cross-handed grip. It seems to be working, and he made enough for a strong start to his title defense.

Pettersson also is a past champion, and like so many other players, some of his pars were what kept the round going. The wind kicked up not long after Willis finished in the morning, and picking up birdies became a chore.

That’s what irritated Furyk so much when he failed to convert a routine up-and-down for birdie on the par-5 opening hole.

“I was kind of kicking myself, because I knew it was going to be a tough day,” Furyk said. “Then I went on a tear and birdied some really hard holes. It was nice to get off to a good start. The greens are quite quick, and these greens have a lot of undulation. When the wind is blowing, it’s just a tough day to score.”

It didn’t help to play in such cool temperatures, unexpected this time of the year in Florida.

“It was warmer in Washington than it is here,” Harrington said.