Noh’s 60 ties course record

S.Y. Noh thought he didn’t have quite enough distance with his threewood as he pondered going for the green in two on the par-five 18th hole — setting up a potential eagle and a 59 in the first round of the AT&T Byron Nelson in McKinney, Texas.

The South Korean didn’t seem to mind settling for tying the course record.

Noh made three putts of at least 25 feet on the back nine for an 11-under-par 60 and a three-shot lead.

Two-time defending champion K.H. Lee, also of South Korea, shot 71, leaving him 11 shots back in his bid to become the first to threepeat on the PGA Tour since Steve Stricker at the John Deere Classic in 2009-11.

Kim shoots 66

Sei Young Kim shot a bogey-free six-under 66 at treelined Upper Montclair Country Club to take the first-round lead in the LPGA Tour’s Founders Cup in Clifton, N.J.

Kim had four straight birdies — on the par-five 12th, par-four 13th, par-five 14th and par-three 15th — and parred the final three holes on the second-year venue in the event that honors the LPGA Tour’s 13 founders.

The 30-year-old South Korean player, the 2016 tournament winner in Phoenix, has 12 LPGA Tour titles — the last two in 2020.

South Korean rookie Hae Ran Ryu was a stroke back. She had eight birdies and three bogeys in a 67.

Three-way lead

Billy Andrade, Timothy O’Neal and Paul Broadhurst each shot a five-under 67 to take the first-round lead in Birmingham, Ala., at the Regions Tradition, the first of five PGA Tour Champions majors, with defending champion Steve Stricker one shot back.

Joining Stricker at 68 were Ernie Els, Padraig Harrington and Ken Duke. Stricker has thrived on the Founders Course at Greystone, with two wins and two runner-up finishes in his last four appearances.

Bernhard Langer was two shots back after a 69 that included a rare burst of frustration from the evenkeeled German.

After missing a short birdie putt on the par-five 13th, Langer threw his long putter and then heaved his ball into the trees.

The 65-year-old Langer shares the PGA Tour Champions record of 45 victories with Hale Irwin.

His 11 senior majors include two wins in Birmingham.

European tour expanding sanctions

Equipped with a favorable court ruling, the European tour expanded its sanctions against players who competed in LIV Golf or Asian Tour events without permission over eight months.

The tour already has issued fines of 100,000 pounds ($125,000) to 17 players who played in the first two LIV Golf events outside London and Portland, Ore.

Now it is going after 26 players with fines that range from 12,500 pounds ($15,500) to 100,000 pounds for each tournament they played without a release.

Players also could face suspensions — up to eight regular European tour events on the schedule — if they pay their fines and remain members.

Any suspension would not start until the Porsche European Open in Germany on June 1-4.