LAST UPDATE | 10 Aug

BEAU HOSSLER FIRED a 10-under par 60 to grab a four-stroke lead early in Friday’s first round of the rain-hit PGA Wyndham Championship.

The 29-year-old American took full advantage of a water-soaked course to fire his career-low PGA round by two strokes at Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro, North Carolina.

Shane Lowry is on even-par after shooting a 70 which included two birdies and two bogeys. Séamus Power is six off the lead after his first round of 66 was impacted by a weather delay. The Waterford native picked up five birdies in his opening round, and has just started the second round on the back nine.

“I hit a lot of greens,” Hossler said. “It felt relatively easy to shoot that number because I hit so many approaches close to the hole.”

Hossler made 136 feet of putts and missed only two greens in his quest to be among the few to break 60 in a PGA event.

“The ball-striking was elite, especially 7- to 5-iron. I hit a couple of those to tap in,” Hossler said.

A tropical storm dumped more than five inches of rain on the course and wiped out all play on Thursday, delaying the first round to Friday.

From his start of five consecutive birdies followed by an eagle, Hossler was a threat to the all-time PGA Tour record low 18-hole score of 58 posted by American Jim Furyk in the final round of the 2016 Travelers Championship.

Another 13 rounds of 59 have been shot on the PGA Tour entering this week, the most recent being by American Hayden Springer at last month’s John Deere Classic.

“Obviously one short but played very nicely,” Hossler said.

Hossler, seeking his first PGA victory, opened with four birdies in a row and added an eagle at the par-5 fifth.

He rolled in a 48-foot birdie putt at the first hole, dropped in another from just beyond 15 feet at the second, sank a putt from just outside 12 feet at the par-3 third and tapped in a four-footer at the fourth.

At the fifth, Hossler landed his second shot two feet from the hole and tapped in for eagle.

He added birdies at the eighth on a tap in and the 10th from just inside eight feet before taking a bogey at 11, his tee shot going way right of a cart path.

Hossler responded with a birdie at the par-3 12th, missing an ace by 10 inches, and added back-to-back birdies at the 14th from 18 feet and on a tap in at the par-5 15th that put 59 squarely in his mind.

“The last three holes are no picnic here, 18 is probably the hardest hole on the course, so I figured my best opportunity was going to be 17,” Hossler said. “I felt like I hit a nice wedge shot. It just spun back a little more than I expected.”

After pars at 16 and 17, coming up short on a 17-foot birdie putt on the latter, Hossler reached the 18th tee needing a birdie at the last to shoot 59.

Hossler landed in the left rough off the 18th tee and put his second into a bunker 56 feet from the hole. He blasted out of the sand to just inside seven feet then sank his par putt to shoot 60.

His career-low round came on a layout where he had made the cut only once in four prior appearances and where his best prior round was a 67.

“Expectations were to come out and try and get some good momentum. My swing has been feeling great the past month event though the results haven’t been there,” Hossler said.

“Today I just kind of put it together a little bit better.”

Hossler began the final event of the PGA regular season in 88th on the campaign points list but walked off the 18th green projected at 51st, well ahead of the top-70 placement needed to qualify for next week’s playoff opener.

– © AFP 2024