Australian Lee maintains 1-shot lead at LA Open

Here are nine tidbits from the first round of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am that gamers can use tomorrow, this weekend or down the road. Be looking for the Emergency 9 shortly after the close of play of each round of the tournament. Know Thy Enemy These were the top-10 picked golfers in the PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf presented by SERVPRO. I bemoaned last week why more players in the PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf presented by SERVPRO did not play Hideki Matsuyama. It’s good to see that I won’t be wondering aloud this week why Johnson was so lightly owned! WOW! I’m going to write “82.2 percent” down somewhere and see if we ever see a higher number the rest of the year. A smooth 67 (-5) at Spyglass Hill sees “Mr. Popular” lurking T6, just two shots off the lead. Three-Course Meal Every pro and their amateur partner will get a chance at all three courses this week before the top 60 will battle it out at Pebble Beach on Sunday. With perfect weather Thursday, the top 70 players were two-under-par. The weather is NOT expected to shift so there are two more chances for redemption. Annually, Spyglass Hill plays the most difficult of the three, but six of the top-15 scores on day one were posted there, including T1 and a pair of T3 rounds. Pebble Beach played the most difficult today (71.308) with Spyglass (71.231) right behind. MPCC (Shore Course), as usual in great weather, was a pushover (69.558). Leading Actors Kevin Streelman and Beau Hossler set the pace with matching 65’s. Streelman (-7) was bogey free at Spyglass Hill and got up-and-down an incredible seven times from seven attempts. He’s yet to MC this season, and it looks like that streak is well on its way to continuing. As for Hossler, loyal readers of this column (thank you!) will remind you that this is NOT surprising on any level. If you are tired of reading about him, I’m going to suggest that he’s not in your lineup. That’s a YOU problem! Hossler was also bogey free in his opening round, but his was on Pebble Beach where the California native was second in strokes-gained: putting. Family Affair After taking a couple of months off to close 2017, Rory McIlroy seems to be refreshed and raring to go in 2018. He’s paired with his father, Gerry, this week in his first attempt at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. The Ulsterman opened his year T3 and second in the Middle East. He wasn’t his sharpest today as he only painted 10 of 18 GIR but hitting 10 of 14 fairways at Spyglass Hill is beyond decent. He’ll play three new courses in tournament action three days in a row, and that will tell gamers just how well he is dialed in. Eyes on Wise The former NCAA champ from Oregon, Aaron Wise, is playing out of the Web.com top 50 reshuffle this season and has eight starts to his name. Half of those have cashed checks with all four finishes T32 or better. He’s trying to move up the ranking, which will be reordered the Monday after the Genesis Open. He’s off to a flying start (T3) as he found 16 of 18 GIR and didn’t square a bogey or anything worse in opening with 65 (-6) at Monterrey Peninsula Country Club (Shore Course). Where There’s a Will… Will Zalatoris left early with MC at Farmers Insurance Open on the number while making his professional debut at Torrey Pines. After circling six birdies against only one bogey at Spyglass Hill, he’s put himself into the top 10 (T6) after 67. He’s under the tutelage of Cameron McCormack, Jordan Spieth’s long-time teacher, and that should answer most of your questions about him. His next project is establishing status as he currently is void of that on either the Web.com or PGA TOUR. He’ll need sponsor exemptions (limited), Monday qualifiers or top-10 finishes to make that happen. Know this before you add, trade, etc., for him. Opportunity for Oppenheim Rob Oppenheim has only played 30-something TOUR events in his career. The 38-year old has picked up only two top-10 finishes during that stretch and exactly half of them are at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. He cashed T8 last year and that was, despite bogeying three of his last seven holes on Sunday after being 12-under-par at one time. He opened with 67 at Pebble Beach today and is T6. Star Search Jordan Spieth continues to struggle with his putter as he needed 32 whacks today to post E (72) at Spyglass Hill. He only made one birdie. I’m going to suggest he bounces back in a big way in Round Two. … Adam Scott made his season debut and looked like it. He took a whopping 37 putts and was only 1-of-6 scrambling. His 77 didn’t provide much hope for gamers in any format in Round One. … Brandt Snedeker, two-time champ and tournament record holder, opened with 71 (-1) at Spyglass and is currently T71. Study Hall Patrick Cantlay was four-under-par through his first three holes, buoyed by an ace on No. 11 at MPCC. He’s currently T6 after his 66 (-5). … Robert Garrigus almost aced the par four, No. 17 last week at TPC Scottsdale. He gave the cup another scare today on No. 7 on Pebble Beach but had to settle for a tap-in two. #DialedIn. … The Web.com is playing the Club Colombia Championship this week in Bogota. After Round One, four players are tied for the lead with 66 (-5). … Event No. 2 of the PGA TOUR Champions begins tomorrow at the Boca Raton Championship. Read more about PGA TOUR Champions Fantasy golf here.

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PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — A year ago at The Honda Classic, Jhonattan Vegas made seven birdies all week. He’s off to a much better start this time. Vegas made six birdies and no bogeys Thursday, shooting a 6-under 64 to open a two-stroke lead after the first round. Lucas Glover bogeyed his finishing hole for a 66, leaving him tied with Zach Johnson, Ernie Els and Ben Silverman — who went to college at nearby Florida Atlantic. “Hit my irons the best I’ve hit them all year and I’ve always liked this golf course,” Vegas said. “It’s kind of one of those courses that I think suits me. You have to hit the ball well and you have to get around really well. And then I made a few putts.” Brooks Koepka, Rickie Fowler and Sergio Garcia were in a large group at 67, and defending champion Justin Thomas shot 68 after an eventful day that saw him play the last eight holes without a 9-iron after it bent when he hit it against a tree. “To feel like I gave quite a few back today and shoot 2-under par on this golf course, it’s great,” Thomas said. Also at 68 was Sam Saunders, the grandson of golf legend Arnold Palmer. Saunders birdied all three holes in “The Bear Trap” stretch at PGA National, the run of holes 15 through 17 where a par 4 is sandwiched by a pair of par 3s that can be treacherous even without much wind. Vegas made 12 bogeys last year at the Honda, along with three doubles and a triple, wound up beating only one of the 74 finishers and wrapped up the week with a final-round 78. He sprayed irons everywhere, missed half of the fairways, more than half of the greens. But Thursday, he was dialed in — missing only three of 14 fairways and three of the 18 greens, needing only 29 putts to get through the day. “I felt like I was in control pretty much all day long,” Vegas said. The 34-year-old Venezuelan has three PGA TOUR victories, winning the 2011 Bob Hope Classic and the RBC Canadian Open in 2016 and 2017. Vegas took advantage on a day to make noise at PGA National, where the wind was down. And that’s not typical. Forecasters correctly said breezes would be relatively light all day and should stay that way until perhaps the weekend, though Johnson — whose weather apps said breezes were going to be no more than 3 or 4 mph — was among those who felt the wind was still a factor and fluctuated more than expected. “We had a stretch there on the front nine where it was a lot more than that,” Johnson said. “The ball curving with the wind, depending on the direction, easily 10 to 15 to 20 yards. And then we made the turn and it started to be more consistent, not as gusty. … It was not Honda wind. I don’t think we’re going to get Honda wind until Sunday.” Els had no complaints. Els has won more than 70 tournaments worldwide, 19 of them on the PGA TOUR — the last of those coming in 2012 at the British Open. Getting a 20th on TOUR, he said, has been a goal for some time. “Secretly on TOUR among the players, you know when you win No. 20 you get some benefits,” Els said. “It’s late in my career, but I’ll take any win now.” Thomas sizzled at the start with three birdies in his first four holes, and made the turn at 4-under. That’s when his day got eventful. His drive ended up behind a tree on the 10th, and he figured that his 9-iron would snap on the follow-through of his approach shot. It merely bent instead, and the jolt of the impact meant Thomas was going to be spending some time Thursday night with an icepack on his wrist. He doesn’t believe it’ll impact him Friday. “Just more of a shock than anything,” Thomas said. Thomas then found his way into and out of trouble on The Bear Trap — making double-bogey, then having a par putt slide past the hole on 16, and making birdie on 17. He then birdied the last as well. Garcia also finished strong, with three birdies in his last four holes. “It’s a great round, at the end of the day,” Garcia said. DIVOTS: Fowler went into the water twice and wound up making a triple-bogey on the par-4 sixth, his nemesis hole at PGA National. In his last four rounds at the Honda, he’s 7 over on that hole. … Alex Cejka was disqualified for using an improper greens-reading device, officials said. He withdrew from last year’s tournament and missed the cut in 2017. … Cody Gribble had an interesting day — making quadruple bogey on No. 6, triple bogey on the par-4 11th, and then eagle on the par-5 18th. He shot a 77.

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Webb Simpson tees it up for the first time since his runaway at THE PLAYERS Championship, joining favorite son Jordan Spieth to headline a strong roster as the PGA TOUR makes its 73rd visit to venerable Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas. Jon Rahm and Justin Rose also are in the field, choosing Colonial over the European Tour’s BMW PGA Championship, while Rickie Fowler gives the tournament four of the top 10 in the current world rankings. Kevin Kisner is defending champion. FIELD NOTES Rose tees it up at Colonial for the first time since 2009, telling reporters he chose the event to fulfill a TOUR regulation requiring members to play one stop they haven’t visited in the past four years. U.S. Open champion Brooks Koepka makes his third start since returning from a wrist injury. He tied for 11th at THE PLAYERS Championship. In all, the Colonial field features 13 of the top 30 in the rankings. Keith Clearwater, the 1987 champion, is set to make his 30th start at Colonial. That’ll move him within three of Ben Crenshaw’s all-time record. Chilean teen Joaquin Niemann, making his fourth professional start, tops a wealth of young talent also on display. Niemann placed sixth in his pro debut at the Valero Texas Open. The list of young guns also features Sam Burns – already a winner on the Web.com Tour – and former No.1 amateur Maverick McNealy. FEDEXCUP Winner receives 500 points. STORYLINES Spieth, whose 2016 title stands as his only win in his home state, remains in search of his first win since last year’s sizzling Open Championship finish. Though his closing 64 at the Masters is one of five scores of 66 or better since late March, he also has three cards of 74 or higher. Ryan Palmer, a Colonial member, owns four top-15 finishes in the past six years, including a share of third in 2016. He also tied for fifth in 2012 and ‘14. Kisner seeks to join Ben Hogan as the only man to record back-to-back wins at Colonial. Hogan did it twice – 1946-47 and 1952-53. Eight of the past nine winners have done so in come-from-behind fashion, with Spieth the lone exception. Barring a late WD, Matt Kuchar, Peter Uihlein and Jhonattan Vegas will be the only players to tee it up in all five Texas stops this year. It’s the 15th anniversary of Annika Sorenstam’s historic entry, becoming the first woman to tee up in a PGA TOUR event since World War II. The Invitational returns next year with a new title sponsor in Charles Schwab investments, a longtime sponsor of the PGA TOUR Champions season race. COURSE Colonial Country Club, 7,209 yards, par 70. A staple on the PGA TOUR schedule since 1946, only Augusta National has served a longer uninterrupted tenure as host. The 1936 Perry Maxwell/John Bredemus design is a timeless shotmaker’s layout, challenging golfers with tight fairways and several doglegs. It also was the first Texas club to install bentgrass greens. Colonial welcomed the U.S. Open in 1941 – the first Open contested south of the Mason-Dixon Line – and the TOUR settled in five years later. Colonial also staged the second edition of THE PLAYERS in 1975, along with the 1991 U.S. Women’s Open. 72-HOLE RECORD 259, Zach Johnson (2010). 18-HOLE RECORD 61, Keith Clearwater (2nd round, 1993), Lee Janzen (4th round, 1993), Greg Kraft (3rd round, 1999), Kenny Perry (3rd round, 2003), Justin Leonard (4th round, 2003), Chad Campbell (3rd round, 2004). LAST YEAR Kisner captured his second PGA TOUR victory, capping a 4-under-par 66 with a clutch par save to hold off Sunday challenges from Spieth, Rahm and Sean O’Hair. Three straight birdies to start Colonial’s back nine moved Kisner to the front, adding another at No.15 for a two-shot advantage before a bogey at the par-3 16th. Spieth’s challenge went wayward off the tee at No.18, and Rahm’s 10-foot try for a closing birdie just skirted the hole. Kisner’s approach at the 18th rolled off the back of the green, but he putted up the slope to 5 feet and converted the par save as Spieth stood on a chair to see the finish. Kisner’s victory followed runner-up weekends earlier in the spring at the Arnold Palmer Invitational and Zurich Classic. HOW TO FOLLOW TELEVISION: Thursday-Friday, 4-7 p.m. ET (Golf Channel). Saturday-Sunday, 1-2:45 p.m. (GC), 3-6 p.m. (CBS). PGA TOUR LIVE: Thursday-Friday, 8 a.m.-4 p.m. (featured groups), 4-7 p.m. (featured holes). RADIO: Thursday-Friday, 1-7 p.m.; Saturday-Sunday, 1-6 p.m. (PGA TOUR Radio on SiriusXM and PGATOUR.com).

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