Oosthuizen in the driver’s seat
WGC: CONFIDENT LOUIS CARDS EAGLE AND SEVEN BIRDIES
Mexico City
Louis Oosthuizen fired an eagle and five birdies in a seven-under-par 64 on Thursday to take the first-round lead in the WGC Mexico Championship. The 2010 Open champion landed his 230-yard approach shot at the par-five 15th five feet from the pin and rolled in the putt for an eagle that gave him a lead he wouldn’t relinquish.
“I’m very confident with my driver at the moment,” Oosthuizen said. “I’ve got a nice little cut going.”
He was one stroke in front of England’s Chris Paisley, India’s Shubhankar Sharma and American Xander Schauffele, the PGA Tour’s 2017 Rookie-of-the-Year.
Paisley, 31, earned his first European Tour title at the BMW SA Open in January. Fifth-place finishes at Abu Dhabi and Dubai saw him qualify for his first elite World Golf Championships event.
Paisley opened with back-toback birdies and added two more at the fifth and sixth, seizing a share of the lead on five-under with a birdie at the 10th, where he rolled in a 10-footer.
He drained a 40-foot birdie putt at 14 and moved to seven-under with a birdie at 15 before his lone bogey of the day at 16.
Schauffele had six birdies in his 65 while Sharma waited out a late lightning delay and birdied his final hole, the ninth, to join the group sharing second.
He also eagled the first, chipping in from 30 feet.
This week marks Sharma’s first appearance in a WGC event. He has won twice on the European Tour this season.
Spain’s Rafael Cabrera Bello and Thailand’s Kiradech Aphibarnrat are on 66, with world No 2 Jon Rahm alone on four-under 67.
Defending champion Dustin Johnson carded a two-under 69.
The highlight was a near-ace at the 17th, where his tee shot spun within inches of the cup.
The world No 1 finished with six birdies, two bogeys and a double-bogey six at the par-four 14th. –