In changeable weather, Tony Finau took control of the event along with returning Canadian Taylor Pendrith. On the wrong end of the draw, Paul Barjon played over par.
Luck is a part of golf, that first round of Rocket Mortgage Classic confirmed it. Here there is no question of miracle or improbable very lucky, but of starting draw. The morning players indeed benefited from much more favorable playing conditions than those of the afternoon.
The wind arriving at midday will have made the attack on the small greens of Detroit Golf Club much more complicated.
This is evidenced by the ranking. They are only four in the top 20 to have started in the second end of starts. And unfortunately for them, the wind is not expected this Friday afternoon to balance the odds.
Two men in the lead
Among the “varnishes”, a certain Tony Finau. The winner of the 3M Open last Sunday very quickly damaged the Michigan layout with five birdies on its first eight holes. Three new birdies on the suite came a little more to improve this day.
Winner last week.
Leader this week.@TonyFinauGolf currently sits on top @RocketClassic pic.twitter.com/bAMEaOdLSX— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) July 28, 2022
The other 64 (-8) of the day is the work of the ghost Taylor Pendrith. Long injured in the ribs, the Canadian has made a remarkable comeback on the circuit for a few weeks. Thursday it was his putting that worked miracles with the trifle of nine birdies.
A hundred players under par
The leading duo are two steps ahead of a quintet in which the Americans find themselves Webb Simpson, author of his 185th card of 66 or less since 2010, a record, and Cameron Champ or even English Matt Wallace.
The latter, 141st in the FedEx Cup, absolutely needs a good result to keep his card next year. Despite the wind, a hundred participants returned a negative score for this first round.
The wind spared no one Thursday ???? pic.twitter.com/GWVqO2V8Iw
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) July 29, 2022
Paul Barjon above par
A group of which Paul Barjon Do not be part of. The New Caledonian started his day badly with a bogey on the first hole but managed to cross the first leg in par.
3 bogeys on the first 6 of the return hole made the tricolor plunge in the standings. His 75 (+3) indeed relegates him to 140th place, far from the cut.
Small consolation Barjon came out better than his two game partners, Brett Drewitt et Wyatt Worthington II who signed the two worst scores of the day.
The latter, invited by the organizers this week, is playing his third career tournament on the PGA Tour, but extremely rare it is the first not to be a major. Indeed this PGA teacher managed to qualify twice in 2016 and 2022 at the PGA Championship (two missed cuts).
The video summary of the 1st round
Le leaderboard
©PGA Tour
