Rookie Ryder leads soggy Houston Open
PGA Tour rookie Sam Ryder played just enough golf Thursday to get his name atop the leader board in the Houston Open.
Ryder holed an 8-foot birdie putt on the 15th hole to reach 8-under par before it was too dark to continue. The opening round was delayed two hours because of overnight rain that dumped more than two inches on the Golf Club of Houston.
But it was partly cloudy, warm and breezy for most of the day, with a forecast for more of the same.
Former U.S. Open champion Lucas Glover and Kevin Tway each shot 7-under 65 in the morning. They had a oneshot lead over Rickie Fowler, Rod Pampling, Ryan Armour and Julian Suri among those who completed their rounds.
Madison’s Steve Stricker was among those at 67. Stricker is coming off a victory last week on the PGA Tour Champions, his second this year on the 50and-older circuit.
He still has hopes of going to Augusta National next week. Winning the Houston Open is the only way to get into the Masters.
Phil Mickelson looked as if he would be among the leaders when he shot 30 on the front nine and was one shot behind. Mickelson, who won the Mexico Championship three weeks ago for his first victory in more than four years, stalled on the back nine, and then wound up in the wrong spot on the par-3 14th.
Facing a bunker shot with the green running away from him, Mickelson left it in the sand and the ball rolled back into his footprint. He did well to get that one on the fringe, and got up-anddown to make double bogey. He wound up with a 68.
LPGA Tour: Pernilla Lindberg fired a bogey-free 65 and a one-stroke lead after the first round of the ANA Inspiration in Rancho Mirage, Calif.
Beatriz Recari and Ayako Uehara were a stroke back.