Saunders gets jump on star-studded field
Arnie’s grandson shoots 7-under 64 as storms loom in L.A.
This is the starring role Sam Saunders prefers.
Saunders, the grandson of Arnold Palmer who somehow kept his composure during a heartfelt eulogy of The King, rolled in birdie putts and kept a clean card at Riviera on Thursday for a 7-under 64 and an early two-shot lead in the Genesis Open.
Saunders called it his best round on the PGA Tour, and it was merely a coincidence that it came on the 50-year anniversary of Palmer defending his title at the Los Angeles Open, when it was played at Rancho Municipal.
“He just always talked about how much he loved coming out there and playing,” Saunders said. “I think his celebrity matched pretty well with the celebrity atmosphere that you have here, so he was obviously comfortable with that.”
Saunders had a two-shot lead over Dustin Johnson, who has a chance to go to No. 1 if he were to win this week. PGA Tour rookie J.T. Poston joined Johnson at 66, while Phil Mickelson was among those at 67.
The first round was unlikely to finish because of a fog delay in the morning, and the bigger concern was a monster storm of rain and wind expected to arrive along the California coast later Thursday.
Saunders has kept a busy schedule over the last four months in the aftermath of Palmer’s death. He is taking on a bigger role at the Arnold Palmer Invitational next month, along with being a husband and the father of two sons, and getting his golf game in shape.
“It’s been busy, but busy in a good way,” he said.
He has always been known as Palmer’s grandson, and Saunders has learned to embrace it.
“I don’t need to compete against my grandfather’s career. Nobody can,” he said.
Saunders, with only conditional status this year, is playing on the first of what figures to be several sponsor exemptions. He missed the cut in La Quinta and Pebble Beach and knew with the forecast so dire that it would be key to get off to a good start.
Mickelson is playing his fifth straight event, though the 46-year-old sure didn’t seem bothered by that.
He went eagle-birdie-birdie around the turn to briefly take the lead and settled for a 67.
European Tour:
Brett Rumford and Mark Foster shot 6-under 66s to lead after the first round of the World Super 6 tournament in Perth, Australia, with 10 others a stroke off the lead. The tournament, also sanctioned by the Australian and Asian tours, will feature three days of stroke play before switching to a match-play format in the final round when the top 24 golfers will play a series of six-hole knockout duels.
Women’s Australian Open:
Katherine Kirk set the early pace by shooting an 8-under 65 at Royal Adelaide to take a two-stroke clubhouse lead. Tied for second were Marissa Steen and Jane Park of the United States and South Korean Chella Choi.