India’s Anirban Lahiri opened the Wyndham Championship with a bogey-free three-under 67 and was placed tied 46th at the end of the opening round here.
Lahiri landed an eagle from 18 feet on fifth, his 14th hole, besides a birdie on second. He had nine pars on the first nine, which was the first nine for the Indian ace.
Korean duo Sungjae Im and Byeong Hun An were tied for first at 8-under with Patrick Rodgers, Rory Sabbatini, Johnson Wagner, and Mackenzie Hughes tied for third at 7-under.
Jordan Spieth, Ryan Armour, Kiradech Aphibarnrat, Ted Potter, Jr., Brandt Snedeker, Webb Simpson, Brice Garnett, Seamus Power, and Josh Teater were tied for seventh at 6 under.
Former Wyndham winners Brandt Snedeker and Webb Simpson joined Jordan Spieth among the nine players at 6-under 64.
The co-leaders shot the best rounds of their PGA TOUR careers. An, a 27-year-old South Korean seeking his first career victory on Tour, closed with birdies on four of his final six holes and a sand save on the par-4 18th.
An had four birdies on the front nine at Sedgefield Country Club along with those four on the back nine during his bogey-free round. He hit 15 greens in regulation.
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Im, one of nine players in the field with a chance at finishing in the top 10 on the points list and earning some bonus money as part of the new Wyndham Rewards Top 10 program, had three straight birdies on Nos. 14-16 and also was bogey-free. He started at No. 25 on the points list.
For a while, it looked as though Spieth would join them atop the leaderboard -- teeing off on No. 18 one stroke behind the leaders, but he sent his drive out of bounds. After taking the penalty stroke, he placed his fourth stroke 21 feet from the flagstick and rolled in that putt for arguably the best bogey of the day.
-Rough start for Diksha at Women’s British Open-
Indian golfer Diksha Dagar had a disappointing start as she shot five-over 77 in the first round of the AIG Women’s British Open at Woburn Golf Club here.
Dagar had five bogeys to be placed tied 137th.
Ashleigh Buhai led a brilliant birdie barrage on Thursday with a 7-under-par 65 for the first-round lead in rain-softened course with perfect greens.
Hinako Shibuno, 20, a JLPGA rookie, is one stroke back along with Danielle Kang. Sung Hyun Park, trying to win a major for the third consecutive year, is at 67 as are Charley Hull, who thrilled the fans on her home course, Moriya Jutanugarn and Megan Khang.
Jeongeun Lee6, looking to be the first woman to win majors at the US Women’s Open and Women’s British Open in the same year, is at 68 with Ariya Jutanugarn, winner of the 2016 British Open at Woburn, and Jin Young Ko, who is trying to join the elite group to win three majors in a year as well as take the Rolex ANNIKA Major Award.
Buhai, a 30-year-old South African, has yet to win on the LPGA since joining in 2008, but has two victories on the Ladies European Tour. Her best finish this year is tied 11th at both the ISPS Handa Vic Open and the Pure Silk Championship.
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