Streb shoots 61, only leads by one
Low scoring at CJ Cup on the first day of Vegas event
Robert Streb went from making putts to wondering if he would ever miss Thursday in the CJ Cup at Summit. It led to his best start to any tournament and his lowest score on the PGA Tour.
And on this day at The Summit Club, his 11-under 61 was only good for a one-shot lead.
A world-class field lit up a very pretty and mostly defenseless golf course overlooking the Las Vegas Strip. The result was the lowest average score — 68.95 — for the opening round on the PGA Tour all year.
Streb had 10 birdies and an eagle and led by one shot over Keith Mitchell, who had more birdies than pars in matching his low round with a 62. Harry Higgs was at 64, while the group at 65 included Sergio Garcia and Viktor
Hovland.
Such scoring in ideal conditions was what players were expecting on this Tom Fazio desert course, and Streb wasted little time proving it.
He started with a pair of 6-foot birdie putts and followed with a 12-footer for eagle. When he walked off the par-5 sixth hole after a long two-putt for birdie, he already was 7-under par.
European: Jon Rahm’s struggles at home continued with a 7-over 78 that matched his second worst round ever as a professional and left him 11 shots off the lead at the Andalucia Masters. He had also shot 78 in the second round at the British Open in 2018. His worst score was an 82 in the third round of The Players Championship in 2017. The No. 1ranked player will need a good round on Friday just to make the cut. “It was a tough round. I was never comfortable,” he said. “I don’t want to go home on Saturday, and if somebody can overcome this it’s me. But I don’t have any more room for error.” Rahm had four bogeys and a double bogey on his front nine and another bogey on his back nine at the Real Club Valderrama in southern Spain. “It’s frustrating because this is a course that I like,” he said. “With this wind the course becomes very
difficult.” Rahm finished the day in a tie for 108th, with only 10 players shooting higher scores than him. Rahm was coming off a disappointing 17th-place finish at the Spanish Open last week in his return home after nearly two years. He opened with a 63 but had lackluster rounds the rest of the way and was not in contention to defend his title on Sunday. Julien Guerrier, who finished in a tie for third at the Spanish Open, was the early leader after shooting 4-under 67.