Seongjae Lim returned with an opening 64 and led Brandt Snedeker to the lead by recording 7 under par from the first day of the Valspar Championship.
Sungjae missed two consecutive cuts after returning from a wrist injury, but returned to his best form with two eagles in the opening round on Thursday.
After completing the turn, Seongjae first put an eagle putt of 18 feet in the par 5 11th hole and 35 feet in the par 5 hole. Only a pair of bogeys over his final four holes slowed him down.
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A very unusual incident occurred at the Valspar Championship when partners Rasmus Nirgaard-Pettersen and Isaiah Salinda were putting together at the same time and the balls collided, leaving commentators perplexed.
Snedeker hasn’t won on Tour in eight years and had just two top-10 finishes last year. But as U.S. captain in the Presidents Cup, he took full advantage of the sponsor’s exemption to get off to a strong start on the Copperhead course at Innisbrook.
The 45-year-old recorded his first bogey-free round at Innisbrook in 14 years, sinking three straight birdies to open the back nine with a 65.
“I had a really good game plan, I just relied on my putter,” Snedeker said later. “I putt well today, made a lot of putting shots, positioned my tee shot, and hit a lot of fairways and greens.
“I’m really excited to see how it started, but there’s still a long way to go.”
Davis Thompson shot a 66 on the first day to finish alone in third place, while Pierceson Coody, Andrew Putman and Billy Horschel were one shot worse at 4 under par with opening 67s.
Horschel, who missed last week’s Players Championship, is running out of time to win or finish in the top 50 to qualify for next month’s Masters.
Two-time major champion Xander Schauffele and Jacob Bridgeman, who has already won this year’s Riviera Tour, also enjoyed bogey-free first rounds.
The pair were part of a large group that included The Players runner-up Matt Fitzpatrick, who shot 68 and was 3 under par.
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Matt Fitzpatrick expresses disappointment after missing out on victory for The Players.
Corey Conners shot a mediocre round of 69, aside from a special moment when he posted back-to-back eagles on the 18th hole and the first turn.
Three-time major winner Jordan Spieth also opened the round with a 69, but at one stage looked like he was expected to score much better when he was 5 under par on the front nine.
But after he missed a birdie putt from 4 feet on the 11th hole and a par putt from a similar distance on the 13th hole, he dropped three strokes in a stretch of the final three holes known as the “Snake Pit,” including a double bogey on the 16th hole when he drove into the water.
Defending champion Viktor Hovland recorded a final 1-under-par 70 on six holes of 2-over-par, and Brooks Koepka returned to Innisbrook with a level-par 71.
Watch the second round of the Valspar Championship live Sky Sports Golf From 11:30 a.m. Friday. Enjoy streaming golf without a contract.
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