Day one of the BMW Championship saw the PGA Tour’s top 50 players lock horns in the rarified air of Castle Rock, Colorado. It’s down to business for the Tour’s top players as they fight for the top 30 spots, and a place at the Tour Championship at East Lake. Hideki Matsuyama came into the week on the crest of a wave after his dramatic victory at the first of the playoffs in Memphis, while Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry were looking for a reset and a charge towards the top of the FedEx rankings.
Keegan Bradley was out of the traps quickly; the US Ryder Cup captain carded his 10th bogey-free round in FedEx Cup playoffs by putting a number down early. The last man into this event, starting in 50th in the standings, his six-under-par first day was the target for the field to follow.
Lowry and McIlroy were among the later starters on day one, and Lowry managed to get his round in the books before weather called a halt to play. His three-over-par first day will frustrate the Clara man. A birdie start was wiped out on the par-three fourth before a double-bogey on the ninth saw him turn for two-over. Two birdies on the homeward nine were spoiled with a trio of dropped shots on his way back to the clubhouse. He will want to kick into gear early on round two to make an impression on the top of the leaderboard.
A slow start from McIlroy saw him reel off seven straight pars before some nifty short-game work lead to birdie on the par-5 eighth. Another birdie and a bogey were traded, before a fantastic eagle on the par-5 14th catapulted him into the top 10. After chances came and went on the par-5 15th and par-3 16th – the latter a missed six-footer after a gorgeous tee shot – he faced a lengthy par putt on 18 when the hooter sounded and he was forced to mark his ball and get off the course.
Three hours and 10 minutes later, he returned to two-putt for a closing bogey that left hm tied for 10th at the end of round one.
Nick Dunlap continues his breakthrough rookie season with another fine performance. The multiple winner this year clawed himself to five-under before finding water trouble on the par-4 15th hole. A double bogey saw him drop back to three-under as play was halted and the weather closed in.
The top two on Tour lurk with intent as Xander Schauffele finished out on three-under-par, while Scottie Scheffler sits on one-under after a frustrating day on the greens. The world number one seemed visibly to be struggling with back issues during his round but made light of it speaking after he finished. One group that are happy to be in the clubhouse before the disruption, all sit on four-under. Alex Noren, Sungjae Im, Adam Scott and Corey Conners happily enjoyed their hot chocolate in the mountains, as the final groupings await news of a return to action.
“With it being a little bit tight, it was hard for me to get through it, and I was labouring most of the day to get through the ball,” Scheffler said, playing down his back trouble. “On 17 I was trying to hit a high draw, and that’s a shot where I’ve really got to use a big turn, big motion. Really just felt it a little bit. But other than that, all good.” He went on to add, “maybe I hit a few too many balls yesterday or something. It was just a little sore. I’m sure I’ll get some ice on it and stuff, and I’ll be totally fine tomorrow.”
Matsuyama has managed to get his putting under control over recent rounds, despite having a choice of flat sticks to mull over as he headed into his victorious final day in Tennessee. The high-flying Japanese player birdied three on-the-bounce from the second and only had a single dropped shot, on the par-four 10th. Three more birdies followed on another solid back nine and he was in solo-second with a score of five-under on his final hole as the klaxon sounded to suspend round one.
When play resumed, the Japanese hit a stunning second into the last from 168-yards to inside two-feet. His birdie putt to tie Bradley was agonisingly wide of the mark and he will start day two, one shot adrift of the overnight leader.
Lowry begins his second day with work to do at 15.50 with Robert MacIntyre while McIlroy and Wyndham Clarke kick off ten minutes later off the first tee. The weather is expected to rear its head again on round two so posting a low number should be a priority for the early starters.
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