Shane Lowry continued his strong season stateside with an opening round 64 at the Truist Championship, a birdie on the ninth, his finishing hole, Philadelphia Cricket Club providing a nice finish to a round of six birdies with no dropped shots.
Rory McIlroy’s defence of the title – renamed since he won a fourth Wells Fargo last year and being played once-off in Philadelphia as its traditional home at Quail Hollow readies for the PGA next week – saw the newly-minted Masters champion post an opening round 66, five shots behind Keith Mitchell who opened with a stunning 61, the lowest round of his career.
Low scoring was the order of the day in Philadelphia where Mitchell’s 61 saw him claim only a one-stroke lead over Denny McCarthy, who signed for a 62, while Rickie Fowler shot a 63.
Meanwhile, in the alternate PGA Tour event, Séamus Power took a good attitude and a new Ping putter with him into the opening round of the ONEflight Myrtle Beach Classic, which reaped dividends as the Waterford man shot a bogey-free opening round 64 to sit just one shot off first round leader Mackenzie Hughes at The Dunes in South Carolina.
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Power, who didn’t get into the $20 million Truist Championship, went about his business impressively in a round of five birdies and a hole-out eagle.
“Everyone is trying to get in the elevated events. Obviously, I get that, but it’s a good golf course, and at the end of the week I will say it’s going to be someone with a two and a half year PGA Tour exemption. That’s going to be the big thing. You have a ticket to Maui [the Tournament of Champions] sitting here too. You have all that stuff,” said Power of making the most of the week in emphasising the rewards on offer.
The Myrtle Beach Classic has a $4 million purse – with $720,000 to the winner – and Power, who has struggled of late on the greens, has put a new putter in the bag after missing the cut in Texas last week.
“I feel like I’ve been hitting decent putts, but my speed has been a little bit up and down. It’s tough to make putts when your speed is a little bit off. I got a new one that Ping made. It feels great, it felt really good immediately. It’s definitely in for the time being. It felt very nice on the course,” said Power, who didn’t need the putter at all when holing out with a 9-iron approach to the eighth hole for an eagle two.
