The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Every matches course record with 61
Journeyman needs strong showing to make FedEx Cup.
Matt Every matched the Wyndham Championship’s first-round record with a 9-under 61 on Thursday to take a one-stroke lead in Greensboro, N.C.
Every tied the opening-round mark set in 2010 by Arjun Atwal, who went on to win the PGA Tour’s final tournament before the postseason.
Henrik Stenson opened with a 62. Former Wyndham winner Webb Simpson was at 63 along with Cameron Smith, Vaughn Taylor, Tim Wilkinson, Harold Varner III, Brian Campbell and Sam Saunders.
Davis Love III — the 53-year-old player who has won this tournament three times, most recently in 2015 — matched Martin Flores and Rick Lamb with a 64.
For Every, a 33-year-old with two career victories on tour, this was a muchneeded strong start to what he hopes is a long week.
“I played good, and have been playing good for a while,” Every said. “So it’s just nice to see it come together.”
Every arrived at par-70 Sedgefield Country Club in a tie for 183rd on the FedEx Cup points list. The top 125 qualify for the Northern Trust next week in New York.
His best finish this season was a tie for 14th at the Canadian Open, and he had a string of seven consecutive tournaments from AprilJune in which he either withdrew or missed the cut. Both of his victories came at the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill in 2014 and ’15.
Every started his round with an eagle on the par-4 first, holing out a 105-yard shot from the left fairway that bounced three times and rolled in. He birdied three straight holes from Nos. 3-5, then added another on No. 7 and three more on the back nine.
Every had a chance at the overall course record of 60 with a 6-foot birdie putt on No. 18, but missed it and tapped in for par.
Stenson, the 2016 British Open champion and FedEx Cup winner in 2013, had eight birdies in his bogeyfree round and could have had another one but missed a 6-foot birdie putt on No. 15.
European Tour: Anthony Wall holed a long birdie putt on No. 18 to begin the defense of his Paul Lawrie Match Play title with a 1-up victory over Sam Walker in the first round in Germany.
The Englishman won the European Tour event, his first title in more than 16 years, when it was held in Scotland in 2016.
Lawrie was 1 down with three to play but recovered to beat Peter Hanson on the 20th hole as the former British Open champion started another bid to win the tournament he is hosting.
Australasia Tour: New Zealand’s Daniel Pearce shot a 6-under 66 to take a onestroke lead after the first round of the wind-swept Fiji International.
Local favorite Vijay Singh was five strokes behind after a 1-under 71.