San Antonio, TX (SportsNetwork.com) – Charley Hoffman carded a 5-under 67 on
Thursday to take the early lead at the wind-whipped Texas Open.
Hoffman picked up his third PGA Tour win earlier this season in Mexico.
Aaron Baddeley posted a 4-under 68 and is alone in second place on the AT&T
Oaks Course at TPC San Antonio. Max Homa is one stroke back at minus-3.
Phil Mickelson birdied his final two holes for a 2-under 70. He stands
alongside Ryan Palmer in fourth place.
Texas natives Jordan Spieth and Jimmy Walker are among seven players tied for
sixth at minus-1.
Matt Kuchar and Cameron Percy were the leaders after the morning wave finished
in windy conditions. They carded even-par 72s and are now tied for 13th. The
scoring average in the morning wave was 78.61, but improved to 74.86 in the
afternoon.
Hoffman rolled in a 7-foot birdie effort to get his round going. He made it
two in a row with as his 10-footer for birdie on No. 3 found the bottom of the
cup.
The OHL Classic winner ran off five straight pars from the fourth. His string
of pars ended with an 11-foot birdie putt at the ninth as he made the turn at
minus-3.
Around the turn, Hoffman dropped his approach at the 11th to four feet and
knocked that putt in for birdie. After five consecutive pars, Hoffman sank a
7-foot birdie try at the 17th to grab the lead. He parred the last to finish
one clear of Baddeley and close out the lone bogey-free round of the day.
“I think visually the golf course sets up off the tee for me, which is nice.
It’s a demanding driving golf course, I think that’s one of my strengths is
driving the golf ball in play,” said Hoffman, who has finished in the top-15
at this event in each of the last six years. “And I think that sorts of fits
my eye off the tee, and it gives me the ability to attack once I get it in
play. I know my track record and feel good. Definitely I look forward to
playing here.”
Baddeley stuck his approach shot the first to six feet and dropped that putt
in for an opening birdie. He made it two in a row as he converted a 14-foot
birdie try.
The Australian parred four straight from the third. He missed a 5-foot par
chance at the seventh, but atoned for that mistake with an 11-foot birdie putt
at the eighth.
Baddeley ran off six straight pars from the ninth. He ended that run with a
birdie at the 15th. At the short par-4 17th, Baddeley’s drive missed the green
well left, and he took an unplayable like penalty.
The three-time PGA Tour winner returned to the tee to hit his third.
Baddeley’s second tee shot found the hole for an improbable birdie. He 2-
putted for par at the last to end one back.
“I was thinking of gripping a 3-wood or hitting a cut driver, and I don’t
know, I went with the cut driver. I hit a pulled draw in the middle of the
trees. And then just teed up the next one and I hit this one straight. And so
I hit it, started walking and the crowd started going nuts,” Baddeley said of
the 17th. “I never did that (before), nothing like that.”
NOTES: The overall scoring average for the day was 76.695, and that is more
than two strokes higher than the previous high average for the year, which was
74.054 in the final round of the Farmers Insurance Open … The 76.695 scoring
average was the highest for a non-major since the 1990 Memorial, where the
first-round scoring average was 78.907 … There were 31 rounds of 80 or
worse, 23 of which came in the morning wave … Colt Knost (thumb) Sang Moon
Bae (back) and Graeme McDowell (left leg) all withdrew during the first round.
