Kuchar Leads WM Phoenix Open After First Round

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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

Full Leaderboard

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