The closest he has come to a big victory was in 2017, when Richy Werenski was a rookie. The Web.com graduate and the Georgia Tech alumni lost to Chris Stroud on the second playoff hole of the Barracuda Championship. In his third straight year on the PGA TOUR, Werenski is searching for his maiden victory. After a brilliant 63 on Thursday, he could believe that he is closer than ever to realising some of his dreams this week at the TPC Twin Cities in Blaine.
Werenski found himself scrambling for par after an errant tee stroke at the par-4 third hole. Reaching the green in three, he needed make par from 23 feet. But he took two putts to suffer the only blemish on his card. Playing with renewed vigour, Werenski shot six birdies in eight holes from the fifth to take charge of his round and the leaderboard. A 342 yard drive on the par-5 18th set him up for his ninth birdie of an eventful round.
Arjun Atwal was even through 15 holes, but two bogeys in the last three holes of the first round dropped him to 2-over 73. He started off the tenth tee, going steady at one-under with a birdie at the 12th hole. But an errant tee shot at the par-3 17th proved expensive, with the double bogey knocking him down ahead of the turn. Atwal recovered with another birdie on the par-5 sixth with a fine approach. A two-putt bogey on the seventh hole hurt Atwal, before another bogey at the last hole, the ninth dented his card some more.
Michael Thompson was spotless in his round, scoring four birdies on his first nine, starting off the tenth tee. He added three more on the way home for a fine 64, lying just one stroke back from the leader.
Tony Finau, Xinjun Zhang, Nick Watney and Ryan Moore shot 65 each to occupy the third spot on the leaderboard. Finau made news on Thursday when he revealed that he parted ways with his longtime caddie, Greg Bodine, who was on the bag since Finau was a rookie in 2014-15.
“We were together for six years and it’s a tough thing, you know,” Finau said. “On a personal level I love the guy and on a business level I felt it was time for a change in my situation and something just different.”
In the first round in Minnesota, Finau enjoyed the company of Boyd Summerhays. A long time friend, confidant and coach, Summerhays helped soothe any nerves Finau may have felt at the beginning of another promising week on the PGA TOUR.
Finau got off to a slow start, making the turn in 34 strokes, going out from the tenth tee. He made five birdies on the second nine and a five at the par-4 seventh was the only blemish on a solid day. Summerhays has also been on Finau’s bag in the past and the two share a warm dynamic, going back several years.
“We’re very close,” Finau explained. “No hard feelings no matter what, I think that’s a good dynamic to have when you’re out there. I didn’t have him say too much. I know I’m playing well and for the most part just bring him in when I want him.”
“To be able to build up a lead I had on Saturday, that gives a guy some confidence,” Finau said. “I don’t think it really matters how I finished the tournament, at least that’s the positive I take from it is in that field on that golf course, I was able to play really clean, really nice golf.
“I think it takes a lot of skill to do that, just to put yourself in that position. So that’s kind of what I took away from that week and kind of looking to do some of the same this week.”
In an unexpected development, Dustin Johnson withdrew from the tournament after a first round 78. The American cited a back injury as the reason for his withdrawal on Thursday. Johnson won the Travelers Championship, but he shot a pair of 80s at the Memorial where he missed the cut last week.
