From worst to first, Rahm struggles and welcome again Lanto Griffin amongst 5 issues to know after Day One at Farmers Insurance coverage Open
SAN DIEGO – Sam Ryder says most of his nice rounds normally begin with a birdie. On Wednesday, on the first spherical of the Farmers Insurance coverage Open, he did one higher than that.
Beginning on the par-5, 10th gap on the North Course at Torrey Pines, Ryder rolled in a protracted eagle putt.
“Nicely, that’s it for me. I’m achieved for the day,” Brendan Steele, certainly one of his rivals in his grouping, recounted what Ryder mentioned. “I used to be like, ‘Dude, this isn’t a greatest ball. You’ve received to maintain taking part in.’ So, he simply determined to go loopy.”
Ryder tallied six birdies to go together with the eagle to publish a bogey-free 8-under 64 and share the lead with Aaron Rai and rookie Brent Grant. Steele did his greatest to maintain up with Ryder, rolling in a birdie at 10, the primary of seven on the spherical to shoot 65.
“He was all the time in entrance of me the entire day,” Steele mentioned. “His good play was useful. It’s good to see balls go within the gap.”
“You do feed off that,” Ryder added of a snug pairing the place each gamers had been dialed in. “There’s fact to that, for positive.”
Ryder, 33, entered the event in a stoop, having missed three straight cuts and 4 of his final 5, however his confidence remained intact.
“I felt like I used to be shaking vacation rust off,” he defined. “I’ve been working onerous because the begin of the brand new yr and felt good about my recreation. It was simply, it began off the tee for me, it was drive it within the fairway and I felt like I might assault.”
Ryder tabbed it a stress-free spherical and all of it started with the opening-hole eagle.
“There wasn’t a lot to the putt,” he mentioned. “It was truly pretty straight and it was a kind of when it was midway there, it regarded fairly good and it simply type of fell in good.”
Farmers: Thursday tee times, how to watch
From DFL to prime of the leaderboard for Brent Grant
The 26-year-old rookie flamed out of the American Categorical final week ending lifeless final for 36 holes. His 54-score included a two-stroke penalty for arriving late to the primary tee throughout his third-round 79.
Identical man, extra expertise, he mentioned.
“It’s a superb spherical of golf and I could also be within the lead with a pair different guys, however once more, it’s simply day one,” he mentioned. “You’ve received to place the previous behind you and it’s the previous so now we transfer ahead.”
Grant birdied 4 holes in a row, beginning on the ninth en path to his 64, and credited his putter for the recent begin.
“I most likely labored more durable on my placing within the final 4 days than I ever have in my life after having fairly the dangerous two weeks,” mentioned Grant, who visited the close by Scotty Cameron placing studio for a tune-up. “I’m all the time open to altering in relation to placing as a result of I’m as ignorant as anyone in relation to that stuff. I can’t thank them sufficient. However once more, it’s only a good begin. We’ve received to maintain doing it.”
Aaron Rai feeling at dwelling at Torrey Pines
Rai, a local of England, fired his personal bogey-free 64 and mentioned he felt at dwelling on a sun-blessed however cool day.
“I believe the temperature and in addition how the wind impacts the ball is slightly nearer to what I might have grown up with within the U.Ok. The ball doesn’t journey fairly as far right here in comparison with different locations in America,” Rai mentioned.
Rookie Sam Stevens, who made back-to-back birdies at Nos. 13 and 14 throughout a bogey-free spherical, and Andrew Novak, who made 4 birdies in a six-hole stretch on the back-nine, had been each sitting fairly with 66 on the more durable South Course.
Checking in on the large boys and a disappointing begin by Jon Rahm
Jon Rahm watches his tee shot on the primary gap in the course of the first spherical of the Farmers Insurance coverage Open golf event at Torrey Pines Municipal Golf Course – South Course. Necessary Credit score: Ray Acevedo-USA TODAY Sports activities
It was a blended bag for the top-ranked gamers within the subject. Collin Morikawa led the way in which with a 5-under 67 on the North Course. Will Zalatoris and Max Homa had been a shot again at 68.
Reigning PGA Championship winner Justin Thomas opened with a stable 4-under 68 on the South Course.
John Rahm, who’s bidding for a win in his third straight begin, posted 1-over 73 on the South and could have his work minimize out for him to make the minimize not to mention hold his sizzling streak intact. To make issues harder for Rahm and the sector are the Santa Ana winds, that are anticipated to blow on Thursday.
Native product Xander Schauffele struggled to even-par 72 on the North. Tony Finau was a stroke worse at 73 on the South.
Welcome again, Lanto
Lanto Griffin hits his first shot on the 18th gap of the North Course in the course of the first spherical of the Farmers Insurance coverage Open at Torrey Pines Golf Course on January 25, 2023 in La Jolla, California. (Picture by Orlando Ramirez/Getty Pictures)
Lanto Griffin wasn’t positive what to anticipate after a virtually seven-month absence from the PGA Tour.
It couldn’t have gone too a lot better than a bogey-free 5-under 67 at Torrey Pines’s North Course on Wednesday in his first spherical again.
Griffin, 34, underwent a microdiscectomy on July 25 to restore a ruptured disc in his decrease again (L5-S1).
Griffin mentioned the harm bothered him on and off for greater than two years however had grown insufferable the final three months.
“High quality of life was unattainable,” mentioned Griffin, who had final performed on July 1 on the John Deere Basic.
Previous to surgical procedure, Griffin tried an epidural, however the injection truly made the harm worse.
Griffin mentioned he’s strengthened his again throughout bodily remedy and has been strolling his canine 4 instances a day. He did a rehab begin final week on the Korn Ferry Tour, which marked the primary time he had performed and walked six straight days. He tabbed himself one hundred pc.
“Fairly darn shut,” he mentioned. “Knock on wooden, it’s been good for the final three months.”
Odds after spherical one