World No. 1 Jordan Spieth aced the par-three second hole, while England’s Paul Casey fired a six-under 66 to share the lead after round one of the Hero World Challenge.
Casey’s bogey-free round put him alongside Americans Jimmy Walker and Zach Johnson atop the leaderboard at the 18-man event hosted by Tiger Woods.
Defending champion Spieth’s best shot of the day left him one stroke back on 67, alongside compatriots Bubba Watson, Bill Haas and Brooks Koepka, and Australian Adam Scott.
Photo: AFP
Spieth, the reigning US Open and Masters champion, used a six-iron from 172 yards for his hole-in-one and followed with a bogey-free round that included birdies at the seventh and back-to-back at the 14th and par-five 15th.
Casey, who suffered two playoff losses on the USPGA Tour this season, enjoyed his tour of the Albany resort, making birdies at the par-five third, sixth and 15th holes. He also opened and closed the back nine with birdies and added another at 13 to secure his playoff among the leaders.
It is the seventh appearance at the event for Casey, who shared third in 2010 and 2011, his most recent prior starts.
Walker closed the front nine with a bogey to stand at level-par, but made six birdies on a bogey-free back side to seize his share of the lead.
Johnson, the 2013 Challenge champion, birdied three of the four par-three holes — the fifth, eighth and 17th — as well as the 10th, 11th, 15th and 16th.
Scott birdied the par-three second, eagled the par-five third and then answered a bogey at the fourth with a birdie on the par-five sixth.
On the back nine, he took a bogey at 13, but responded with back-to-back birdies at the 14th and 15th, and closed with another birdie to stay on the leaders’ heels.
NEDBANK CHALLENGE
AP, SUN CITY, South Africa
South African golfer Jaco van Zyl birdied three of the last five holes to ensure some local representation at the top of the Nedbank Challenge leaderboard alongside Henrik Stenson in the first round at Sun City on Thursday.
Sweden’s Stenson shook off an illness that hampered his buildup to record five birdies by the turn, but was less prolific over the final nine holes and finished with a six-under 66 that was matched by Van Zyl.
England’s Danny Willett ended the day in third after shooting 67, while South African Branden Grace and Australia’s Mark Leishman were a further shot back in fourth.
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