Venezuelan rookie Jhonattan Vegas and American William McGirt shared the first-round lead at the USPGA Tour’s Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open in Las Vegas on Thursday on eight-under 63.
Vegas, who won the Bob Hope Classic in January for his first USPGA Tour title, had 10 birdies and two bogeys on the TPC Summerlin layout as the US circuit’s Fall Series of events kicked off.
McGirt, another Tour rookie, had eight birdies without a bogey.
Photo: AFP
Australia’s Nathan Green and South Korea’s Charlie Wi were a stroke back on seven-under 64.
Vegas, who played in the heat of the afternoon, got to eight-under with back-to-back birdies at 15 and 16, but gave back a stroke with a bogey at the par-three 17th, before a birdie at the 18th.
“I feel like I’m hitting the ball absolutely great, which is something fun to do, but the main thing was I made a lot of putts today,” Vegas said. “The two greens I missed today, I missed by probably half an inch and just putting from the fringe I three-putted both times, which was kind of ironic. It’s just golf.”
McGirt, who played in one of the last groups of the day, had five of his birdies on the back nine to claim his share of the lead.
Green had set the early pace with a round that featured seven birdies and no bogeys.
The Australian, who missed the Tour’s FedEx Cup playoffs, was making his first start in more than a month. In his last outing, he finished equal 52nd in the Wyndham Championship.
The time off appeared to do him good, as Green hit 10 of 14 fairways and hit 14 greens in regulation.
“Today it just sort of all clicked a little bit,” said Green, whose 64 matched his lowest total this year.
Green, winner of the 2009 Canadian Open, came into the week ranked 178th on the money list, but said his focus is on playing well more than on securing his card for next season.
“I would like to keep my card, but even if I didn’t, just to play some nice golf, just would take the pressure off,” Green said.
Defending champion Jonathan Byrd, who won last year with an astonishing hole-in-one at the fourth hole of a playoff with Scotland’s Martin Laird and Australian Cameron Percy, carded a first-round 71.
Australians Matt Jones and Rod Pampling and Germany’s Alex Cejka were among a group of 11 players on 65.
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