Knox grabs 1st-round lead in Mexico; six players share top spot in SA Open
LOS ANGELES: Scotland’s Russell Knox fired a 30 on his front nine en route to a six-under 65 to seize a first round lead at the USPGA Tour’s Mayakoba Golf Classic on Thursday in Mexico.
Knox, who started on the 10th tee, birdied five of his final six holes on his opening nine then added two more birdies on his back nine to take a one stroke lead over three others. His only blemish was a bogey on the par-four second hole.
“Took me a few holes to kind of setle into my round, but when I did, I had six or seven very good holes,” Knox said. “I hit the ball well, drove it in the fairway, and with lit, clean and place, I could be fairly aggressive. Par was good today.”
Chile’s Joaquin Niemann, Emiliano Grillo of Argentina and American Tom Hoge were a stroke back at 66 in the final event of the PGA Tour’s 2020 season at the Playa del Carmen course.
Knox’s best previous showing at the Mayakoba was a runner-up four years ago ater losing in a playoff. He is seeking his third PGA Tour win ater victories at the 2015 WGC-HSBC Champions and the 2016 Travelers Championship. He also has two wins on the European Tour.
“I love the course. It sets up well for me. I mean, historically, my driving accuracy and iron play’s been my strength, so that’s kind of the key things that this course brings out in you,” he said.
Four-time major champion Brooks Koepka is six strokes back of Knox ater shooting a 71.
Pre-tournament favourite and the only top 10 ranked player in the field, Justin Thomas, shot 72. Thomas, who has two wins in 2020, is coming off a fourth place finish at the Masters and has five straight top-15 finishes.
Another stroke behind is Thailand’s Kiradech Aphibarnrat, who is playing in his first event since testing positive for Covid-19 on November 11. Kiradech had three birdies but made a double bogey on the par-four third hole.
BEZUIDENHOUT SHARE LEAD: Christiaan Bezuidenhout carried the form which won him the Alfred Dunhill Championship last weekend into the South African Open on Thursday, firing a lead-sharing 67 in the first round.
His five-under-par round over the Gary Player Country Club at the Sun City resort in northwestern South Africa was matched by five other Golfers in the European Tour/sunshine Tour co-sanctioned event.
Bezuidenhout was joined by fellow South Africans Dean Burmester, Ruan Korb and Jacques Kruyswijk, Austrian Mathias Schwab and Italian Aron Zemmer.