Palm Beach Gardens – There was a time – and not very long ago – when the Champion route was one of the most feared among the non -major provisions of the PGA Tour.
Like all the rest of the golf lately, times have changed.
Second year pro Jake Knapp became the 14thth person (and 15th of all time) to turn the magic number of golf – a 59 – when he typed for his 12 yearsth Birdie of the first round of Classic consiant in palm beaches on the finishing hole in 5 in PGA National.
A 59? On the champion par-71? What transformed the bear trap into a plush bear trap? (Holes 15 to 17 played under peer in the morning.)
Previously, something under would be a cause of celebration on the redoubled course of Jack Nicklaus. Not Thursday. Not with the wind a Zephyr, the Greens as welcoming as the grandparents and an ovecessor that made the grass of the Bermuda predictable.
“I knew I was hitting him well, so I tried all sliced today,” said Knapp, who improved the 61 tournament record shared by Brian Harman and the 2021 champion Matt Jones to build a 4 -stroke advance.
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Knapp was not the only one to adopt this aggressive approach with his approaches. Three players fired 63 in the morning – Daniel Berger of Jupiter, The 2014 champion Russell Henley and Sami Valamaki (who finished second in Knapp’s only victory in Mexico last year). Four others, Rickie Fowler of Jupiter, Samuel Ryder, Davis Riley and Jesper Svensson, had 64. The triple major champion Jordan Spieth drew 65 years, equaling Harman, Michael Kim, Joe Highsmith and Charley Hoffman for ninth place.
It was the professional version of the Limbo golf course – how much can you go?
In an opposite way, it was a perfect storm of events – no wind, green vegetables and small Bermuda – which caused the rankings with red figures all day.
Daniel Berger: “Not the old bear trap to whom we are used to”
“Obviously, the route was not the old bear trap to which we are used to,” said Berger, who overcome a lost ball during his first swing, the ball sticking in a tree, to display the peer on the par-5 10th hole. “It’s over-over. It’s not the Bermuda, it’s not tight. And the greens are perfect and soft. If you get out of the harsh, you can still stop the ball on green, which has never been the case. “”
Said Fowler: “It’s a day you go out and even pull with a blow or a couple and you kick your ass with what is available there.”
Spieth made his first professional departure at PGA National, but had looked at the carnage on the champion in the past years. When he arrived on Tuesday, he saw a different course.
“I did not know that he had been overpriniable, and the Fairways in the course of overvanation change him a lot, because it will make the fairways softer, which makes them wider, then around the Greens, it is much easier than the sleeping Bermuda,” said Spieth. “You can easily look at a round on the change of grass types in the fairway.”
Cognizant Classic First Round produces a lowest combined field score
At the end of the afternoon, the first round on Thursday produced the lowest combined field score in the 53 years of tournament history (68.5), 2½ shots under the peer. The previous PGA National Record was curiously the final round of last year (68.79).
“I am sure that the rules that civil servants will see this and they will put it a little harder for the coming days,” said Berger. “They don’t want to see 59 shot every day.”
Hialeah resident and Junior from Florida Luke Clanton Pulled a 4-mine of 67, placing it in position to win his PGA Tour card by cutting 36 holes on Friday.
Knapp set the tone early, opening with five consecutive birds. After three pars, he added three other birdies, one per and three additional birdies to reach 11 sous with three holes on the left. The sneak in the fence hole in 5 certainly seemed a little – it had only 200 meters with an iron at 6 for its second stroke, and easily two shots for the 59.
If he had made the 19 -foot putt eagle, he would have equaled the record for the tour of all time of Jim Furyk of 58 (Furyk also pulled a 59). “The latter putt was a little fast,” said Knapp, making sure that he was not losing his place in 59 History. Now can he join the five players who fired in the 1950s and won this week?
Not all players were delighted with low scores. Billy Horschel, from Florida, fought an alligator during his 66 years, but he would have preferred the champion to fight in the first round.
“I really want us to play just like a right Bermude,” said outside the line. “I know that it doesn’t seem prettier on television, and I know that is one of the reasons why it is over -expressed. It’s just a little disappointing because it’s such a big golf test. We see a little national PGA because it’s fun to play this golf course when it is difficult. »»
Once, they continue to change.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Jake Knapp leads Cognizant Classic after the first round filled with low scores
