Matt Kuchar is the first round leader at the Waste Management Phoenix Open after firing a 7-under 64 at TPC Scottsdale’s Stadium Course. Kuchar is up one-stroke on defending champion Hideki Matsuyama and Brendan Steele, who are both at 6-under and tied for 2nd place.

 
Playing in the afternoon’s marquee group, along with fellow Olympians Patrick Reed and Bubba Watson, the 38-year-old Kuchar was bogey-free on his round, with 5 birdies and 1 eagle.

John Peterson, Robert Garrigus, Scott Brown, Byeong Hun An and Chris Kirk are tied for 4th at 5-under.

Top 10

1 Matt Kuchar -7
T2 Hideki Matsuyama, Brendan Steele -6
T4 John Peterson, Robert Garrigus, Scott Brown, Byeong Hun An, Chris Kirk -5
T9 Rickie Fowler, Brooks Koepka, J.B. Holmes, Steve Stricker, Martin Laird, Webb Simpson, Graham DeLaet, Alex Cejka -4

Notables

T18 Phil Mickelson -3
T28 Justin Thomas, Bubba Watson -2
T38 Jordan Spieth, Zach Johnson, Jon Rahm -1
T54 Patrick Reed, Daniel Berger, Ryan Moore E
T76 Keegan Bradley, Andrew Johnson +1
T110 Russell Knox +3
T120 Si Woo Kim +4
WD Pat Perez

Key To Success

The key to Kuchar’s round was his ability to avoid any big numbers. After starting out with two birdies, Kuchar parred 8 straight holes – 3 through 10. This conservative, error-free stretch allowed Kuchar’s good string of holes (11-17) to count that much more. For the day, the Bronze medal winner in Rio was on target, hitting 12 of 14 fairways (85%) and 16 of 18 greens (89%).

Best Stretch

Kuchar’s best run of the day was a seven-hole stretch from 11-17, where the Georgia Tech alum went 5-under with 3 birdies, 3 pars, and an eagle.

Quote

“Got off to a great start. It was nice. This is my first event for the year. To start off birdie-birdie was a great way to start 2017 for me. It kept going. I drove the ball really well, which around here, you just have to do. There is decent rough and desert out there to try to avoid. I did a great job of that. Drove it well. From there, just played good, steady golf. Had a lot of chances. It was a fun round of golf. To play in front of so many people to get the buzz and energy out here. It’s great fun.”
–Matt Kuchar,First Round Leader, WM Phoenix Open

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