Just one of the guys, Immelman -- and buddies -- soar in first round

Only these kids were actually three of the world's up-and-coming stars -- Trevor Immelman, Justin Rose and Ian Poulter.

Their transportation was a jet.

And the course? Augusta National.

The three Lake Nona boys split the airfare the week after the Tavistock Cup, grabbed a car at the airport and tried their best to overdose on Augusta National; a nap at the Marriott and dinner at the TBonz on Washington Road sandwiched between as much golf as they could play.

"We just had some fun and we did a lot of chipping and putting around the greens and shared each other's knowledge, shared our knowledge with each other,'' Immelman said. "Different shots and different putts that we had seen before. And like I said, we just had a fantastic time.''

They must have learned a little bit, too, since Immelman and Rose share the lead with 4-under-par 68s after the first round of the 2008 Masters, and Poulter is two back at 70.

And, in case you're wondering, Rose took the just-for-fun matches.

"I think I still owe him some money,'' Immelman said, laughing.

The last year has been anything but a laughing matter for Immelman. He contracted a stomach parasite at last year's Masters that caused him to lose 20 pounds. He also has a scar from December surgery to remove a tumor.

He made his 2008 PGA TOUR debut at the FBR Open and has missed four cuts. His best finish on TOUR was a tie for 17th at the World Golf Championships -- Accenture Match Play Championship, although he did tie for seventh at the UBS Hong Kong Open on the European Tour. This opening round Thursday was only the third time this year he has broken 70.

"Well, obviously my form hasn't been too stellar so far yet this season,'' said Immelman, who finished tied for fifth here in 2005. "You know, I think I've been struggling through a few things, and, you know, each week I've kind of felt like I chipped away at something new and started getting a little bit better.

"Obviously, the results have been pretty frustrating and pretty disappointing. I felt like I was improving and starting to get some form back, even though the results weren't showing it. I knew I had to just try to stay patient with myself, because I know it's in there somewhere.

"So you know, just like I said, I hit a few good shots today and saw the ball go in the hole a couple of times, and you start remembering that you're a fairly good player."

Thursday, he birdied the fifth hole to slip under par -- a 7-iron to 5 feet -- and then made a 35-footer at the ninth hole for birdie. "That,'' he said, "was a real confidence booster right there.''

He added a birdie at the 11th hole, then another at No. 15.

Playing partner Boo Weekley said he could have gone lower.

"We just, we just played our own game,'' he said. "Trevor played real solid today. He could have easily shot 7-under. I mean easily. Eight-under, he probably could have shot better than that maybe. He hit it solid today.''

And Immelman and the other two Lake Nona roadtrippers are right there. And, yes, he thought about the buddy trip.

"I was on the third green when Ian holed that shot (for a hole-in-one) , and it was just a massive roar,'' Immelman said. "My caddie and I had a good chuckle when we saw that it was him who holed it.

"Justin, his doesn't surprise me at all. He's been playing some fantastic golf for a long time now, and he really seems to be comfortable with himself and his game and his standing in the game, so I expect him to contend in majors. ''

And, yes, the coincidence is uncanny.

"Hopefully,'' he said, "we keep it going."

That trip after all, was special.

"We didn't have enough time to get into any trouble but had a fantastic time,'' Immelman said. "Like I said, any time you can come to play golf at this golf course, it's really special."