Spieth, Kuchar, Koepka share early Open lead

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K.H. Lee birdies four of the first six holes to seize control of the AT&T Byron Nelson, then rides out a long rain delay to finish off his first victory in his 80th PGA TOUR start. The second straight Korean-born player to win the tournament (Sung Kang), Lee also becomes the eighth Korean to win on TOUR (19 total victories). He’s the fifth first-time winner this season (Jason Kokrak, Carlos Ortiz, Joel Dahmen, Sam Burns) and improves on his previous best result, a T2 at the Waste Management Phoenix Open earlier this season. Lee’s move up the FedExCup standings, from 84th to 29th, is the biggest of the week. Here are five stories you may have missed from the AT&T Byron Nelson. 1. K.H. Lee was clicking on all cylinders. The list of Lee superlatives is a long one. His 25 under was the lowest 72-hole score to par at the AT&T Byron Nelson since 1983. His 28 birdies were the most of his career by six (2020 The American Express), and his +2.708 Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green was also his career best. And the best measure of his patience was the W. After a rain delay of two-plus hours, he returned to miss a par putt of some 16 feet on the 16th hole but birdied 17 and 18 for a three-shot victory over Sam Burns. “Yeah, when I rain delay my goal is no look at leaderboard,” Lee said. “I don’t want to too much pressure myself, so just relax and try my shots, and then some joking in the clubhouse.” Said Burns: “He played awesome. I was really proud of him.” For more on Lee, click here. 2. Sam Burns breaks into FedExCup top 10. After winning the Valspar Championship in his last start, 54-hole leader Sam Burns was trying to become the first player since Camilo Villegas to notch his first two TOUR wins in back-to-back starts. Burns just didn’t have his best on Sunday (70, solo second), but on the plus side he moved from 16th to 5th in the FedExCup as he heads into the PGA Championship. “Yeah, I think the biggest thing for me is just knowing my game is in a good place,” he said. “It’s in a good spot enough to where I can contend. So that’s cool for me, just to see some results for some of the stuff I been working on back home. All in all, a great week.” 3. Jordan Spieth heads to PGA in great form. First-round co-leader Jordan Spieth (71, T9) never got much going in the final round, but he did go 11 under par on the par-5s. And this marked his seventh top-10 finish in his last nine starts, including his 12th TOUR win at the Valero Texas Open last month. What’s more, he pronounced himself “rejuvenated” after taking a long break after the Masters, one in which he came down with and recovered from COVID-19. All of which should bode well as he eyes a potential career Grand Slam going into the PGA Championship at Kiawah. “I’m happy with kind of the way things turned out for the week as a whole,” Spieth said. “Today was a little disappointing. Just was tough. What a battle. We don’t normally get rain in Texas without electricity very often, and so that was definitely a test. But it was fun. “I thought the tournament was great out here, and after having a month off just kind of coming out and hitting a lot of good shots, picking back up where I left off, was a big confidence boost.” Spieth also made a big equipment change. 4. Patton Kizzire sees positive signs. Patton Kizzire has fallen off some since his two-win season in 2018 – he’s not in the field for this week’s PGA Championship at Kiawah – but his 9-under 63 and T3 at the AT&T Byron Nelson was his best result since winning the Sony Open in Hawaii three years ago. What’s more, he moved from 83rd to 58th in the FedExCup and finally saw the return of his A game. It didn’t hurt that he was on a course where low scores ruled – he says he prefers that type of golf – and that he watched a whole lot of putts dive into the hole Sunday. “My iron game is one of my strengths,” said Kizzire, whose 10-birdie 63 was the low round of the final day, “and that’s huge when you match that with my putting.” 5. Joseph Bramlett takes big step Joseph Bramlett was a member of Stanford’s 2007 NCAA Championship-winning team, and a heralded PGA TOUR rookie in 2011. Alas, crippling back problems soon derailed his career. Today, though, after undergoing extensive rehabilitation, eliminating bad habits and perfecting swing changes to take pressure off his spine, things are looking up. With a final-round 68, Bramlett, 33, finished a career-best T7 at the Bryson Nelson. He moved from 158th to 140th in the FedExCup, and the top-10 finish should help him get into more tournaments going forward. “Yeah, definitely should,” he said. “I played the last four weeks, and I had a lot of chances but just haven’t really capitalized. This will be a really high step forward.” As for his back problems, he says they’re a thing of the past. “I’m the best I’ve ever been,” he said. “I’m very blessed to be where I am. I’ve got a great physical therapist and coach and we got things under control. Yeah, my back is feeling totally fine. Wasn’t a factor at all.” COMCAST BUSINESS TOUR TOP 10 The Comcast Business TOUR TOP 10 highlights and rewards the extraordinary level of play required to earn a spot in the TOP 10 at the conclusion of the FedExCup regular season. The competition will conclude prior to the FedExCup PLAYOFFS where the top 10 FedExCup points leaders will be recognized and awarded as the most elite in golf. Week after week, shot after shot, each event matters more than ever before. Who will finish in the Comcast Business TOUR TOP 10? Click here to follow the weekly action.

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