List, Mitchell both play well
HOUSTON — Talor Gooch, Russell Henley, Marc Leishman and Luke List shared the lead in the suspended first round of the Houston Open, with List still on the course when darkness stopped play Thursday.
Rain delayed the start of the PGA Tour event for 2 1/2 hours, with close to an inch falling at Memorial Park, and none of the afternoon starters completed their round.
Gooch, Henley and Leishman each finished a round of 5-under-par 65, while List had three holes left when play was called for the day. The 36-year-old Baylor School graduate had three birdies on the front nine, made a bogey on No. 10, negated it with another birdie on No. 12 and eagled the par-4 14th hole before his day ended with a par on 15. List holed out from 180 yards for his eagle. “We knew we weren’t going to finish, so just trying to get as much as we could in,” List said. “The course was gettable today, a little softer conditions from the rain this morning. Yeah, I was pretty patient today.”
Leishman, a 38-year-old Australian with six PGA Tour wins, closed with a bogey on the par-4 18th.
“My irons were really on and gave myself a lot of chances and made the putts,” he said. “It was pretty stress-free. Disappointing to bogey the last and not have a bogey-free round, but on a course like this I’m pretty happy with just making one bogey.”
Jason Dufner opened with a 66 and was the only player at 4 under; the six players tied for sixth at 3 under included Chattanooga native Keith Mitchell. The 29-year-old Baylor graduate had four birdies to offset a bogey on the par-5 16th hole.
A third Baylor grad in the field, 32-yearold Stephan Jaeger, was at 1 under through seven holes, tied for 32nd.
Tony Finau, the highest-ranked player in the field at No. 12 in the world, opened with a 69.
“I think the course responded pretty well to the weather we had,” Dufner said. “It was a pretty strong storm that pushed through. Thankful that it pushed through pretty quickly. It was soft early, but sun’s out now, the wind’s blowing a little bit, so the course is drying out.”
Langer plays through pain
PHOENIX — Bernhard Langer squatted to tee up his ball instead of bending at the waist. Lining up putts looked like he was doing calf stretches against a wall, more of a chest-high view than ground level.
By the sixth hole, the 64-year-old German golfing great gave up on retrieving the ball from the hole altogether, asking caddie Terry Holt to do it for him.
Any other tournament, Langer would have withdrawn. He nearly did anyway, even with a sixth Schwab Cup on the line.
Playing through pain, Langer shot a 3-under 68 in the opening round of the Charles Schwab Cup Championship, putting him three behind Jim Furyk, Phil Mickelson and Kirk Triplett.
“It was the most pain I’ve had playing golf in 30 years,” Langer said. “It was pretty bad. I told Terry I probably shouldn’t even be here right now, but somehow I started praying out there that the pain would subside and I managed to make it through, but it’s not good. Not sure I can do this for four days. Hopefully, I’ll feel better tomorrow.”
Mickelson had seven birdies and a bogey to match Furyk and Triplett for the lead in the PGA Tour Champions season finale at Phoenix Country Club.
Langer arrived in the desert as the prohibitive favorite to win his sixth Schwab Cup, joining Furyk, Ernie Els and Miguel Angel Jimenez as the only players with a chance to secure the 50-and-older tour’s season championship. Langer’s scenarios for winning his fifth Schwab Cup in seven years ranged from winning this tournament to placing 35th, depending on how other contenders finish.
Maguire stands out with 62
BELLEAIR, Fla.— Solheim Cup star Leona Maguire thrived in a star grouping with an 8-under 62 for a two-shot lead over reigning tournament champion Sei Young Kim in the Pelican Women’s Championship.
Maguire played alongside Kim and Lexi Thompson. No one in the trio made a bogey at Pelican Golf Club on a day ideal for scoring.
Maguire, 26, is still trying to become Ireland’s first winner on the LPGA Tour. Her best result is a runner-up finish at tournaments in Michigan and Hawaii this year. For now, she happily is best known for going unbeaten in five matches to lead Europe to a Solheim Cup victory two months ago.
Thompson was in the large group at 65 that included Nelly Korda, who returned to No. 1 in the women’s world ranking this week and is competing on the LPGA Tour for only the second time since a rough showing for the United States in the Solheim Cup.