Frys.com Open: Brendan steals a march on day one; Rory McIlroy shoots 68

October 16, 2015: The new season got off to a rocking start as the Frys.com Open marked the official start to the 2015-16 season. Brendan Steele shot an error free 63 to steal a march on his rivals at the Silverado Country Club. Jhonattan Vegas with a 64 and the sensational Harold Varner III on 65 were keeping the leader within sight. Rory McIlroy showed some rust before recovering to a competitive 68 under near perfect conditions for golf.

Steele was unstoppable. You would be, if you can shoot seven birdies in an eight hole stretch. Steele made a run for it from the 11th, making a string of birdies to take command of the leaderboard. He enjoyed five straight birdies between the 14th through 18th holes.

Vegas made seven birdies and a bogey at the par-4 14th hole. The highlight of his round was an eagle three at the 538 yard fifth hole. He is just one back from Steele.

Varner is only the second player of black heritage to grace the PGA TOUR following in the foot steps of a certain Tiger Woods. He showcased why there is such a buzz around the young man, with a brilliant 65 on his TOUR debut.

Varner suffered a misstep at the 189 yard 15th hole, giving away a shot. He recovered immediately with an eagle at the par-5 16th hole to gain instant revenge. Overall he made six birdies, an eagle and a bogey in his first round.

McIlroy was among the early starters. Starting at the 10th tee, McIlroy made bogey at the 13th hole to slip over par. But he added five birdies from there to sign off with a 68.

Napa is wine country and McIlroy underlined the challenge for golfers this week. “Just trying to find a balance between not feeling too hung over when you tee it up the next day,” admitted the young Northern Irishman, tongue in cheek.

“Gave myself a lot of chances,” McIlroy added, turning his attention to golf. “I converted a few, but I’ll need to hole a few more. I feel like this is a golf course that you can give yourself a lot of chances. If I can keep hitting the ball the way I am and just hole a few more, I’ll be OK.”

Justin Thomas is a young prospect, exciting several seasoned golf followers with his talent. A fine 66, including seven birdies, served to remind us about the immense potential of this up and coming golfer.

Justin Rose has been there and done it, with pretty much everything in golf. But he isn’t going away anytime soon – making it all look too simple with an efficient 67, containing three birdies on either side.