by Jon Rahm scorched the North Course at Torrey Pines with a first-round 10-under 62. Rahm’s round featured six birdies and two eagles to vault him one shot ahead of world number one Justin Rose and former world number one-ranked amateur Doug Ghim. Full scores
Friendly territory
The strong start will give Rahm a great start on collecting his second win at Torrey Pines. Hard to believe that it was just two years ago when he surged on the back nine to earn his first professional win.
Just behind
Many wondered how long the adjustment period would be for Justin Rose after switching from TaylorMade to Japanese upstart Honma. It appears that the world’s top player is quite comfortable. Rose has finished t4th and t8th in the last two Farmers.
Also one back is former University of Texas star Doug Ghim, who is playing on a sponsor’s exemption. Ghim opted to take the start on the PGA Tour rather than playing this week’s Web.com Tour event, and so far, it looks like a smart move. Since turning professional last summer, Ghim’s best performance has been a t8th on the European Tour and two top 25’s on the PGA Tour.
The strong South
Last year saw a near equal scoring differential between the South and North Courses. The recent redesign of the North Course had toughened things up, but this year, things are back to normal. In round one, scoring was 2.2 shots more difficult on the tough South Course. Expect to see a shakeup on the leaderboard today with 21 of the low 26 scores in round one coming on the North Course.
Notables
The premiere – Tiger Woods was solid in his 2019 debut, shooting a 2-under-par 70 on the difficult South course. A good sign was Woods’ par-5 performance, birdieing all four. This was an area where we saw Woods struggle early in 2018.
Vintage Spieth – Jordan Spieth is three back of Rahm after a strong opening-round 65. Spieth’s lackluster tee-to-green game was bailed out by a hot putter. It’s the type of Spieth round that we had grown accustomed to but was missing in 2018.
Rory’s take
Rory McIlroy opened with a 1-under-par 71 on the South Course. The superstar made waves during his Wednesday press conference with comments regarding Hosung Choi. It was clear that McIlroy wasn’t the biggest fan of the internet sensation, who will be teeing it up at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am via a sponsor’s exemption. McIlroy remarked, “He’s obviously a pretty good player. Whether that means he should be taking a spot away from a PGA Tour player at a PGA Tour event, I’m not so sure.”
It’s an interesting take from golf’s most candid superstar. Choi has clearly become an internet darling, but with his emphatic post swing actions comes substance. Choi ranks 194th in the world rankings, far superior to the vast majority of players who receive coveted sponsor exemptions. In a rare instance, Choi seems to be the rare sponsor exemption who can draw fans and contend.
#LifeOverPar
On a blustery day in the Bahamas, Rafael Campos survived shooting a two-under 70 to capture the Web.com Tour’s Great Abaco Classic by one shot. Campos played a stellar round in conditions that ejected the top of the leaderboard. 54-hole leader Erik Compton shot a final-round 83 that featured a 10 on the par-5 5th, and Willy Wilcox stumbled to a 76 and a t4th finish. On the difficult day, Campos was one of only seven players to break par.
Quick hooks
Through one round, big names such as Fitzpatrick, DeChambeau and Garcia top the Omega Dubai Desert Classic. Round two scores
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Golf Magazine Senior Writer Alan Shipnuck joins Brendan and Andy on this Friday edition. Alan was generous with his time as we discussed two of his incredible 2019 stories on José de Jesús Rodríguez and the murder of Celia Barquín Arozamena. We get into the process of how he crafted both pieces and the reception of each. Then we freelance on Tiger and his prospects for 2019, Andy’s obsession with the Ernie vs. Phil debate, and stories from his life in golf writing, including a Masters when Billy Payne chased him out of Augusta National. Before the interview with Alan, we do our usual Friday roundup, hitting on some amusing inanities from the Farmers, Tiger’s first round of 2019, Lee Westwood’s change in attitude, and Rory McIlroy’s comments on Hosung Choi. This Friday episode runs longer than normal, but we think it will be worth the time. Listen on iTunes, Stitcher or Spotify
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