Bhatia opens with 63 to lead Texas Open by 3; McIlroy goes bogey-free, is 6 back
SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Akshay Bhatia rode the rare experience of knowing a PGA Tour course with a sublime day with his irons for a 9-under 63 on Thursday, giving him a three-shot lead in the Valero Texas Open and taking a small step toward a potential trip to the Masters.
The Texas Open is the last chance for players to qualify for Augusta National by winning. The 22-year-old Bhatia won the Barracuda Championship last summer, but it was held opposite the British Open and didn’t count toward a Masters invitation.
And that’s thinking too far ahead for Bhatia, anyway.
“Doesn’t matter to me,” Bhatia said of his lead. “I’m excited to go and sleep. It’s been a long day, it’s been very hot. I’m just trying to do the things that my mental coach and I have been talking about and I’m not trying to win the golf tournament today. But it’s just nice having a nice day.”
Brendon Todd birdied four of his last five holes for a 66 to join Justin Lower, who played in the morning. Neither of them are in the Masters yet.
It wasn’t a bad day for Rory McIlroy, fresh off a visit to swing coach Butch Harmon in Las Vegas and two days at Augusta National before his final tournament ahead of the one major keeping him from the career Grand Slam.
He also played bogey-free, but managed only three birdies. He failed to birdie both par 5s on the back nine at the TPC San Antonio, missing a 3-footer on the 14th.
“I think it’s the first round I’ve had without a bogey in quite a while,” McIlroy said. “My game over the last couple months has been quite volatile, so to go out there and play a solid round of golf in pretty tricky conditions, pretty happy with it.”
Max Homa and Cognizant Classic winner Austin Eckroat were in the group at 68.