Simpson’s 61 worth a narrow advantage
WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W.Va. — Webb Simpson was able to hold on to the lead.
He didn’t have enough sensational shots to join an elite group.
Simpson shot a 9-under-par 61 Thursday for a one-stroke lead over Whee Kim after the first round of A Military Tribute at The Greenbrier.
Simpson posted his best career score after shaking off a two-hour weather delay with six holes left in his round. He came up short in his bid to shoot the eighth sub-60 round on the PGA Tour. Needing birdies on the par-5 17th and the par-3 18th, he parred both.
“I knew a 59 was in there, but it’s all right,” Simpson said. “Great start. Scores were good, though, so you’ve got to keep the pedal down.”
Kim had back-to-back bogeys on the front nine on The Old White TPC, then ran off five birdies in a seven-hole stretch. The 26-year-old South Korean had 10 birdies overall and was a stroke ahead of Chile’s Joaquin Niemann, 19, formerly the world’s top-ranked amateur.
Kelly Kraft (64) was fourth, with Keegan Bradley, J.J. Henry and Jason Kokrak another stroke back in fifth.
There were 15 golfers tied for ninth at 4 under, including Phil Mickelson and Chattanooga’s Stephan Jaeger. The former Baylor School and University of Tennessee at Chattanooga standout offset his lone bogey with three birdies and an eagle on the par-5 12th hole.
Two other former Red Raiders are also in the field. Harris English (67) was tied for 24th, with Keith Mitchell (69) tied for 64th.
Playing in the afternoon, Simpson had three consecutive birdies around the turn, then chipped in for an eagle on the par-5 12th to move to 7 under. A few minutes later, the horn sounded because of inclement weather, stopping play just as he was hitting his tee shot on the par-4 13th. The shot landed on a hillside.
After play resumed, Simpson’s pitch from the hill went across the 13th fairway into tall fescue. His approach shot landed three feet from the pin, and he escaped with par. He added birdies on the par-4 14th and 16th holes.
Simpson, whose four-shot victory at The Players Championship in May was his first win in more than four years, has had his share of chances at past editions of this tournament. He finished third in 2014 and lost a one-stroke lead on the back nine in the final round in 2011 and 2012.
Rahm struggles
DONEGAL, Ireland — Jon Rahm made back-to-back double bogeys around the turn while shooting a 2-over 74 in the opening round of the Irish Open, leaving the tournament’s 2017 champion seven shots behind leader Ryan Fox.
Rahm, fifth in the World Golf Ranking, was 1 under after his first eight holes at Ballyliffin Golf Club. He duffed his third shot from the rough at the par-4 No. 18 into a greenside bunker and slammed his club into the turf in frustration. Then the 23-year-old Spaniard drove into a fairway bunker on No. 1 and compounded the error by three-putting from long range.
Rahm pulled one shot back with a birdie at the par-5 4th hole, but he could be battling to just make the cut today.
Eighth-ranked Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland, the tourney’s host, shot a 70 and was tied for 18th as he tries to make a run at an event he won in 2016.
Fox, a 31-year-old New Zealander looking for his first European Tour victory, rolled in six birdies on the way to his 67. He finished fourth at the Irish Open last season.
Seven players were a stroke behind Fox, including 2016 Masters champion Danny Willett and three-time major champion Padraig Harrington of Ireland, who won the Irish Open in 2007. Harrington, ranked 268th, hasn’t won since 2016.
There are three qualifying places for the British Open up for grabs to the leading players in the top 10 not already exempt.
Kirk starts well
ONEIDA, Wis. — Katherine Kirk shot a 10-under 62 to take the first-round lead at the Thornberry Creek LPGA Classic.
Kirk wasted no time in picking up from where she left off last year, when she won the inaugural edition of the tournament. Starting on the back nine, Kirk opened with three consecutive birdies and ended her day with a perfect wedge shot onto the green of the par-5 ninth hole for a tap-in birdie.
Sei Young Kim was a stroke behind, and Megan Khang and Brittany Marchand were tied for third at 64. Emma Talley, who made nine birdies in a stretch of 10 holes, was one of seven players at 7 under, and 10 shot 66.