Burns sets early pace at PGA Genesis Invitational

LOS ANGELES: Sam Burns birdied the last three holes to seize a two-stroke lead over fellow American Max Homa and England’s Mathew Fitzpatrick and ater Thursday’s opening round of the PGA Genesis Invitational.

Burns, a 24-year-old chasing his first tour victory, fired a seven-under-par 64 at Riviera Country Club for his third top-four start in his past four starts.

“I think just being patient out here (is key),” Burns said. “This Golf course at times doesn’t offer you a lot of opportunities, so I think just with that mindset going in we were just going to kind of take what we could get.”

Fitzpatrick matched his best US PGA first round with a 66 to equal Homa in second with a pack on 67 including Sweden’s Alex Noren, Australian Mat Jones, Chile’s Joaquin Niemann and American Patrick Cantlay.

“Really pleased,” Fitzpatrick said. “To get off to a start like that in the first round, I’m delighted.”

Burns eagled the par-5 first hole on a 19-foot put and birdied the fith then answered a bogey at the par-3 sixth by dropping his approach inches from the cup for a tap-in birdie at the par-4 seventh. He closed the front nine with a 16-foot birdie put.

World number 147 Burns took a bogey at 12 ater finding a greenside bunker but birdied 13 and then reeled off his fantastic finish -- a birdie put from just inside 20 feet at the par-3 16th, another frpom 10 feet at the par-5 17th and a final birdie at 18 ater leaving his approach within four feet of the hole.

‘HOT START’: “Off to a hot start there with eagle on the first hole,” Burns said. “We were just prety consistent throughout the round. We knew we were going to have a tough stretch there to kind of start the back nine.”

Fitzpatrick shined despite only reaching 8-of-18 greens in regulation.

“It was a good day overall,” he said. “I felt like I played probably beter than my tee-to-green stats would suggest. My swing actually felt prety good. There’s a couple loose ones in there, but on the whole it’s a great start, couldn’t ask for any beter.”

Fitzpatrick, who began off the 10th tee, birdied the 11th and answered a bogey at 13 by sinking a 43-foot birdie put at the par-3 14th and rolling in a 10-footer for birdie at the par-3 16th.

He reached the green in two at the par-5 first and rolled in a 25-foot eagle put and added a three-foot birdie put at the seventh for his 66.

“It was massive,” 20th-ranked Fitzpatrick said of his eagle.