The PGA Tour’s 2020 The Rocket Mortgage Classic kicked off on Thursday with good weather and perfect conditions for scoring at the Detroit Golf Club.
There were some surprise performances – good and bad – in the first round of the first major sporting event that took place in Michigan since the coronavirus pandemic shut down much of the sports world.
Here are the positive and negative results of the tournament opening round.
Hit: Doc Redman
The 22-year-old picked up where he left off last year when he shot 19 and finished second, six shots behind winner Nate Lashley. Redman, who fired 5-under-par 67 in each of his last three rounds last year, opened with a 65 this year and was the first clubhouse leader at 7 under, eventually joined by Scott Stallings and Kevin Kisner. It caught fire on the back nine. He made the tenth hole, then killed seven of his last eight holes with great approach shots that allowed him to make short shots.
[ No family allowed at Rocket Mortgage Classic. Here’s how one player’s wife is handling it ]
Hit: Bryson DeChambeau
Let’s make it simple. If DeChambeau ends up winning this week, you will see a lot more, say, Rubenesque on Tour golfers who are trying to emulate his daily diet of almost 3,500 calories starting with four eggs, five pieces of bacon and two protein shakes At breakfast. The number 10 golfer in the world is the favorite of odds this week and tested it with a 66 up and down which included four trolleys and a 375-yard disc that led to an eagle.
Hit: Rickie Fowler
The Rocket Mortgage launcher made its sponsor proud after drawing for the 46th last year. He has fought blistering and swing changes without losing the cut in his last two tournaments. But it seemed to put it all together with seven birds for a 67. “I just need to clean up the guide a little,” he said. “The iron game has been great. … it’s nice to see the ball roll down the putter as I want. I’m working on it a bit. “
Miss: Nate Lashley
The reigning wire-to-wire champion who made three whales on his way to an opening 71 was pretty bad, but he did it playing with Fowler and Webb Simpson, who shot 67 and 68 respectively. Lashley admitted that he didn’t fan was an adaptation. “No, really no nerve,” he said. “Probably not enough nerves. It almost seems like, with no fans out there, it almost seems like it’s not a golf tournament, so maybe I should have a little nervousness for tomorrow and do some adrenaline. “
Hit: Webb Simpson
The number 6 in the world is the player with the highest score on the field and has lived up to his billing with a 68. 20 other top players such as DeChambeau (66), No. 15 Tyrrell Hatton (68) and No. 17 Tony Finau (69) played well and No. 7 Patrick Reed fired 70. Having good players who play well on the pitch can only encourage the best players to play Detroit in the future.
Hit: Peter Malnati
The solid 33-year-old reporter killed four of the five holes on his first nine, including the tough 18th green with a 54-foot hole shot. He took the turn at 32 and finished with six birds and no cart. Great things for the 2016 Sanderson Farms Championship winner.
Miss: Peter Malnati
he also He misses the talent to earn $ 3.6 million, despite having considered a career in sports writing after working briefly as a high school sports reporter in Tennessee. He has a double miss for his communication degree in Missouri because he said that a degree in journalism “was too difficult”. It is not. Ask any unfortunate ink-stained person in the media room.
Hit: Brian Stuard
There must be something in the Detroit Golf Club that suits the former golfer of Jackson’s Oakland University. He drew for the fifth time last year and continued the mojo with a 68 in the first round which kicked off with an eagle from the fairway on par-4 tenth hole.
Miss: Ryan Brehm
Hard break for the former Michigan state golfer who scored three times twice and made three shovels on his way to a 38 out of his top nine. He fought three birds in his second nine and fired 71. Brehm is a really long hitter with tons of talent who just needs the right tournament to break through. He has a lot of work to do in the second round if he wants it to happen in his home state.
Shot: area 313
DeChambeau and Jamie Lovemark both made eagles on the 14th hole and little birds on the 16th hole, which means that they are both a real hole in giving a $ 313,000 donation in their name to the bridge initiative to change the course of the tournament on digital divide for Detroit residents. As part of the “Area 313 Challenge”, any player who makes 3, 1 and 3 (eagle, ace, bird) in the 14, 15 and 16 holes respectively in four rounds will earn a donation from the tournament to the initiative. Now they just have to get an ace in the 15th hole. No pressure, guys.
Hit: Detroit Golf Club
Another perfect day, another round of perfect scoring conditions. But before anyone takes out the calculator and realizes that the leaders are at peace to shoot 28, we push the brakes. Don’t forget that Lashley opened with a 63 last year and closed at 25, but he was the only one to enter the 1920s. The DGC will not need the 2004 greenskeeper in Shinnecock to save the route. It won’t take long for the scores to drop if the rough gets a little higher and the green gets a little faster. And even if they don’t, who cares? Eagles and birds are fun.
Contact Carlos Monarrez at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter @cmonarrez.
