Lingmerth jumps out to early lead
POTOMAC, Md. — David Lingmerth is one of a few players in the Quicken Loans National field with any memories to draw on at TPC Potomac — and they’re the best kind of memories.
The winner of a 2012 Web.com Tour event on the tight, tricky layout near Washington, Lingmerth once again relied on his accuracy off the tee Thursday to shoot a 5-under 65 and take the first- round lead.
Troy Merritt, the winner two years ago at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club, was a stroke back along with Marc Leishman, Johnson Wagner, Sung Kang, Nick Taylor and Daniel Summerhays.
Defending champion Brooke Henderson and 2014 U.S. Open winner Michelle Wie recovered from sluggish starts to climb into contention early on the opening day of the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship in Olympia Fields, Ill..
Kirk Triplett shot an 8-under 62 on Thursday in the first round of the U.S. Senior Open in Peabody, Mass. to match the lowest round in a PGA Tour Champions major. Loren Roberts is the only other player to shoot a 62 in the tournament, setting the record in 2006 at Prairie Dunes in Kansas. Triplett started on No. 10 on the 6,815-yard Salem Country Club course and played his first nine holes in 4 under. After making the turn, he birdied two of the first three holes, and then sank a 10-foot putt to eagle the 341-yard, par-4 fourth hole. He closed with five pars for a one-stroke lead over Olin Browne, who left himself short on a 30-foot birdie putt on the final hole. “Even though there are some red numbers on the board, if you messed up on the wrong side, you were cooked,” said Browne, the 2011 Senior Open champion. “The greens were receptive and the wind was down. So the ball was going where we started it. But if you didn’t hit good shots, you were going to pay the price.”
Paul Waring shot a 7-under 64 at the French Open on Thursday to take a two-stroke lead. The 279th-ranked Waring rolled in seven birdies and was bogey-free on Le Golf National course that will stage the Ryder Cup next year. Nathan Kimsey, Alexander Bjork and Thomas Pieters were the nearest chasers after 66s.