Report #8 – 6:35
With the fourth eagle of the day on the par-5, 529-yard fifth hole at Sedgefield, Ross Fisher climbed into a tie for the lead in the opening round of the Wyndham Championship.
In 14 events this season on the PGA TOUR, Fisher has made only six cuts and hasn’t played the weekend since his last trip to the state of North Carolina in May at the Wells Fargo Championship.
Fisher began the week ranked No. 162 on the FedEx Cup points list.
Report #7 – 5:40
Jordan Spieth’s 5-under 65 in the first round Thursday was his first sub-70 in his last six rounds.
The leading candidate for the PGA TOUR’S Rookie of the Year, Spieth outlasted Zack Johnson and David Hearn in a playoff at the John Deere Classic. He followed with a tie for 44th at The Open Championship and a missed cut at the PGA Championship.
On the day, Spieth tallied five birdies and didn’t drop a shot and tied his low round of the season (he shot 65 on four other occasions.
Report #6 – 4:45
Bryce Molder is one of the few players cracking the first page of the leaderboard in the afternoon.
Molder, who began his round on the back nine, posted a 2-under 33 on his front nine. After seven straight pars, he moved to -4 on his round with an eagle at the par-5 fifth. The eagle was one of only two on the day at the par-5, 529-yard fifth hole (Zack Zohnson had the other).
Report #5 – 1:45
Robert Garrigus, who has made the cut only twice in his last eight events, birdied four of the last six holes to post an opening round of 65 (-5), one stroke off the lead. He recorded seven birdies and two bogeys on the day.
In five appearances at the Wyndham Championship, Garrigus has made the cut on four occasions, with his best finish a tie for 30th in 2008.
Garrigus enjoyed a terrific start to the 2013 season, posting five finishes of 22nd or better in his first five events of the year.
Report #4 – 1:30
Chris Stroud is the early leader in the clubhouse with an opening round 64 (-6). He posted 8 birdies and two bogeys on the day. The 64 is his lowest round on the PGA Tour since he shot a 63 in the second round of the Mayakoba Golf Classic in 2011. His career low round is 62, shot during the first round of the 2010 Children’s Miracle Network Classic.
Matt Jones posted a bogey-free round of 65 (-5). He scored two birdies on the front and three birdies on the back.
Report #3 – 11:45
Still riding the momentum from last week’s Web.com Tour victory at the Price Cutter Charity Championship, Andrew Svoboda rattled off five straight birdies to close out his front nine with a 5-under 30 at Sedgefield Country Club.
With only four made cuts in 17 events, Svoboda can certainly use a big week. The St. John’s graduate entered the Wyndham ranked 209th on the FedEx Cup points list. He is currently tied for the lead with Aussie Matt Jones.
Report #2 – 11:15
Australian Matt Jones is enjoying, by far, his best year on the PGA TOUR. With birdies on the 12th and 13th holes this morning, he grabbed a share of the lead among the early wave of players at 4-under.
Currently ranked 51st on the FedEx Cup points list, Jones is looking for his fourth top-seven finish in his last seven events. The former All-American at Arizona State has won over $1.25 million this season. He regained his PGA TOUR card with a tie for 14th at last year’s Qualifying Tournament.
Jones has seven top-25 finishes in 2013, including three top 10’s in his last six events.
Report #1 – 9:30
In need of a big week, Colt Knost, Arjun Atwal and David Mathis are off to hot starts in the first round of the 2013 Wyndham Championship this morning.
All players are at least -2 and each rank outside the top 125 on the FedEx Cup points list. Atwal, the 2010 Wyndham champion, sits at 249 on the list, while Knost is 196 and Mathis begins the week at 146 on the points list.
Mathis, a local favorite who resides in nearby Wake Forest, N.C., is coming off a season-best tie for fifth at the Reno-Tahoe Open. Atwal shot a first-round 61 in 2010 en route to a one-shot victory over David Toms. Knost, who owned a share of the lead before consecutive bogeys at the par-4 ninth and par-4 10th holes, has just one top-25 finish this season.
