Cameron Percy of Australia fired a 10-under-par 62 Thursday afternoon to soar into the first-round lead on the World Huge Expertise Championship in Los Cabos, Mexico.
Percy holed a pitch shot for eagle on the 601-yard, par-5 sixth gap and added eight birdies with no bogey to set the early tempo at El Cardonal at Diamante, the primary Tiger Woods-designed course for use for a PGA Tour occasion.
The 49-year-old led Michael Kim, Nate Lashley and Colombia’s Camilo Villegas by two.
“I hit the ball fantastically,” Percy stated. “Did not hit it fairly shut sufficient coming in, however I had just a few seems to be. I could not make ’em all.”
Percy is almost sufficiently old for the PGA Tour Champions, and he plans to performed the Champions Tour’s Q-Faculty subsequent month. Lapping the children, even for in the future, will give him a morale increase.
“I am 152 I believe on the [FedEx Cup standings], so ending top-150 at my age could be implausible,” Percy stated. “That is type of — I need to a minimum of try this, but when I can preserve the ball rolling like I did right this moment, I ought to be capable of end loads greater than that, after which lead into Q-Faculty with the Champions Tour. Yeah, I am trying ahead to that.”
Villegas shot an 8-under par 64 throughout the morning wave for a share of the early lead with Kim. Lashley joined them not lengthy after.
Beginning on the again 9 within the morning wave, the 41-year-old Villegas carded eight birdies. A birdie on his seventeenth gap of the day pulled Villegas even with Kim, whose 64 earlier within the day included 9 bogies and a lone bogey.
Villegas is a four-time winner on the PGA Tour, however the newest of these got here in 2014. Regardless of embarking on his saying profession earlier this yr, Villegas stated he has been working onerous on his sport with new teacher Jose Campra.
“It has been a sluggish yr from a efficiency standpoint, nevertheless it’s been a really hectic yr from a working [one], so there’s been a number of work there,” Villegas stated. “It is at all times good to see a low rating.”
Kim, 30, believes the successful rating come Sunday will probably be within the 20s (beneath par), so he must preserve his foot on the gasoline.
“It is positively a second-shot golf course,” he stated. “You need to use a number of bowls to your benefit in the event you hit it in the appropriate spots. You realize, you want some good iron swings.
Matt Kuchar, 45, stored the veterans theme going with a 7-under 65. He was tied with Cameron Young, the highest-ranked participant within the area at No. 17, amongst others.
Sahith Theegala is taking part in in his closing official occasion of 2023. He opened with a 2-under 70 on Thursday.
Michael Block, the educating professional who completed fifteenth on the PGA Championship, opened with an even-par 72. Maverick McNealy shot a 2-over 74 in his return from a shoulder harm that has sidelined him since June.
