Rahm among pace-setters at Mexico Open; Lee moves ahead

MEXICO CITY: World number two Jon Rahm carded an eagle and five birdies in a seven-under par 64 to join a six-way tie for the first-round lead at the US PGA Tour’s Mexico Open on Thursday.

Spain’s Rahm, the highest-ranked player in the field for an event that is part of the US PGA Tour for the first time this year, was tied with Americans Jonathan Byrd, Brendon Todd, Trey Mullinax, Bryson Nimmer and Kurt Kitayama.

Todd had seven birdies in his bogey-free effort. Byrd had eight birdies and a bogey, Mullinax had an eagle, six birdies and a bogey and Nimmer -- a Monday qualifier -- had an eagle, seven birdies and two bogeys.

Kitayama was the last to join the leading group, notching his ninth birdie of the day at the 18th as the round was winding up.

Rahm got off to a quick start before the wind picked up on the par-71 Vidanta Vallarta resort course, teeing off on 10 and grabbing birdies at the 12th, 13th and 14th. Ater a nine-foot put for an up-and-down birdie at the 18th, Rahm rapped in a four-foot birdie at the fourth.

He drove the green at the par-four seventh then drained a 42-foot eagle put.

He acknowledged that was the highlight-reel moment of the round, but said his chip-in for birdie at the 13th was perhaps more important.

Rahm is chasing his first victory since he won his maiden major title at the US Open at Torrey Pines last year. Another10playerswereafurtherstrokebackon66. Early action was enlivened by twin holes-in-one at the par-three fith by Thailand’s Kiradech Aphibarnrat and American Scot Gutschewski.

It marked only the fourth time since records began in 1983 that multiple holes-in-one were record at the same hole in the same round of a US PGA stroke-play event.

LEE LEADS TOP-RANKED KO AT LPGA PALOS VERDES CHAMPIONSHIP: Australia’s Minjee Lee fired an eight-under par 63 on Thursday to take a one-stroke lead over world number one Ko Jinyoung in the first round of the LPGA Palos Verdes Championship.

Lee, coming off a tie for third at the LA Open, just up the road from this week’s venue in Palos Verdes Estates, carded eight birdies.

That included five birdies on her second nine holes -- the front nine on the hilly course, where Lee said she practiced sparingly this week in part because it pays “to keep your legs fresh.”