Tournament of Champions: The Sentry Tournament of Champions in Hawaii saw a lot of low numbers in the opening round, with Jon Rahm, Collin Morikawa, and JJ Spaun all sharing the lead on nine under par.
Each member of the group shot 64 to start their PGA Tour seasons off well.
Tom Kim of South Korea, who had two eagles and a 65 in the first round, gave them the lead.
Six men, including England’s Matt Fitzpatrick, are two strokes down on seven under, and Seamus Power of Ireland is two shots further back after shooting a round of 68.
Only three shots separate the top 16 players going into the second round, despite the leaders’ low scores.
The first of 17 PGA Tour events with designated higher purses this year is the Tournament of Champions, which features 39 participants. The 2023 field was increased to include competitors who did not place first in 2022 but did make it to the Tour Championship. Previously, this event was only open to competitors who had won a tournament the previous year.
Just two under par at the halfway point, Morikawa then reeled off six straight aces. He finished with another birdie at the par-five 18th hole after two pars.
He praised working with two new members of his squad, putting instructor Stephen Sweeney and chipping coach Parker McLachlin, in part for the solid round to open the year.
Morikawa praised McLachlin, saying, “It’s fantastic to have someone who knows a lot about the short game and you just kind of bounce ideas off.”
According to Morikawa, his work with Sweeney was “I only have solutions. It was like guesswork when I was inserting it before. The fact that I put well today may have led me to believe I was doing anything, but in actuality, I wasn’t.”
A run of four consecutive birdies in the middle of the back nine made up the bulk of Spaun’s round.
After the circuit’s holiday break, he commented on his first round as follows:
“It’s a bit difficult to walk. Even though my toes ached, it was a wonderful opening round for me on the Tour and in competition. So, yeah, there’s nothing else I can ask for.”
When asked if he had ever had toe issues before, he responded, “I think this is a first for me. You spend the entire day on the balls of your feet simply because of the uphill and downhill terrain.
“Walking downhill is nearly as difficult. It’s challenging since you seem to be bracing yourself. It’s tough living here (smiles).”
Australian Cameron Smith, the defending winner, is not playing because he switched from the PGA Tour to LIV Golf.
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