Brehm makes ace for share of lead at Valspar
PALM HARBOR, Fla. — Ryan Brehm turned a good round into a memorable one Thursday, making a hole-in-one on the par-3 17th hole at Innisbrook for a 5-under 66 that led to a threeway share of the lead at the Valspar Championship.
Stephan Jaeger also had a 66, while Adam Schenk joined them with the low score in the afternoon on the Copperhead course.
Jordan Spieth, back at Innisbrook for the first time in five years, had a bogey-free round and was particularly sharp with the putter, making birdie putts of 60 feet and 30 feet on his way to a 67. Also at 67 were former U.S. Open champion Lucas Glover and Maverick Mcnealy.
This is the first lead for Brehm since he won the Puerto Rico Open last year in his final start to try to keep a PGA Tour card. It hasn’t been the smoothest road since then. Brehm has made only three cuts this season — one of them at Kapalua — and is coming off an 80 in the second round last week at The Players Championship.
“We’ve been grinding for a little while since then to try and find some good form again, and hopefully ... it’s been showing signs of good play,” he said.
His ace came with a 6-iron from 196 yards, and he closed with a par.
DP World Tour: David Ravetto and Kristian Krogh Johannessen carded 5-under 67s at a windy St. Francis Links course Thursday to share the clubhouse lead in the first round of the SDC Championship in South Africa. France’s Ravetto picked up six birdies and just one bogey and Norway’s Johannessen had a blemish-free round of five birdies as the tournament made its debut on the European tour.