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KAPALUA, Hawaii — Collin Morikawa already has received two majors and performed within the opening session twice within the Ryder Cup. His opening tee shot Thursday at Kapalua felt as particular as any second.
Lengthy earlier than Sahith Theegala rolled in his tenth birdie for a 9-under 64 to steer The Sentry, the PGA Tour started a brand new 12 months with a ceremony on the primary tee. It featured a Hawaiian blessing and chants geared towards renewal and regrowth, with emphasis on the lethal Lahaina fires.
Morikawa has a deep connection to Maui and hit the opening tee shot.
The place it went — straight and so lengthy it rolled via the green into the tough — was of little significance to him.
“As particular because it’s ever going to get,” Morikawa stated of the primary of his 65 pictures on Thursday. “I can speak about remaining rounds, final pictures, first tee, remaining group and people within the majors, however that was as huge of an honor as I might have had. Not as a result of it was the primary match of the 12 months, however as a result of it was out right here in Maui, all the things that this week represents for me.
“It simply means that rather more.”
He performed prefer it meant extra, with six birdies and one eagle when he carved a 3-wood as much as the elevated inexperienced for eagle on the par-5 ninth.
On this superb day of surprisingly little wind and typical magnificent views, Morikawa had loads of firm. His 65 was one of the best of the day till Theegala warmed up, beginning the again 9 with six straight birdies. He obtained up-and-down on the par-5 18th for one final birdie.
That gave him a one-shot lead over Morikawa, FedEx Cup champion Viktor Hovland, Sungjae Im, Camilo Villegas and Jason Day.
Theegala made his Kapalua debut final 12 months by reaching the Tour Championship as a rookie. Now the sphere at The Sentry — for years restricted solely to PGA Tour winners from the earlier 12 months — has been expanded to winners and the highest 50 within the FedEx Cup. Theegala could be there it doesn’t matter what, due to his win in Napa, California, in September.
The 59-player discipline is the biggest ever for Kapalua, they usually all had their method on a forgiving Plantation course lacking its nice protection with solely a tropical breeze.
Theegala nonetheless needed to work — an 18-foot putt on No. 10, a tee shot to 2 ft on the par-3 eleventh, after which his favourite, a 10-foot birdie on a twelfth gap with a lot slope and grain he wasn’t certain how the putt was going to interrupt.
“I simply aimed it lifeless middle and tried to hit it onerous,” he stated. “That settled me down just a little bit extra, as a result of I knew 13, 14, 15 have been very gettable, too.”
And he obtained them, capping his streak with a two-putt birdie from 20 ft on the par-5 fifteenth.
It felt that method for everybody.
Eighteen gamers have been at 67 or decrease, and that was to be anticipated. The Plantation course’s largest protection is the wind, and it laid down for a lot of the day. Even unhealthy begins turned out effectively. Justin Rose went out in 40 and had six birdies on the again to salvage a 71.
Jordan Spieth hit the primary foul ball of the 12 months, pushing his tee shot effectively proper on the third gap into the tall native grasses, resulting in a double bogey. He answered with nine birdies and was within the group at 7-under 66 that included Patrick Cantlay, Xander Schauffele and Scottie Scheffler, the two-time PGA Tour participant of the 12 months and No. 1 participant on the planet.
“I did not need to battle an excessive amount of for pars,” Scheffler stated.
The wind arrived later within the afternoon, however so many gamers have been dialed in.
“You are enjoying golf on the facet of a volcano. It is fairly completely different than a number of the golf we play,” Scheffler stated. “It is undoubtedly a enjoyable technique to begin the 12 months, enjoyable golf course to play. Though the scores are low, I nonetheless really feel such as you’re challenged lots since you obtained to maintain the pedal down the entire time.”
That is what Morikawa tried to do from the opening group, making his strongest transfer alongside the again 9 with its two par 5s and two brief par 4s.
However it was the beginning that meant a lot.
His grandparents have been born in Lahaina and way back had The Morikawa Restaurant, which closed some twenty years earlier than he was born. However the 26-year-old Californian got here to Lahaina throughout household holidays as a boy.
He was warming up throughout the ceremony however nonetheless heard the drums, the chants. It was chilling on a balmy day on the west finish of Maui.
“It obtained just a little bit emotional,” he stated. “I believe simply because I do know what everybody has gone via, you hear it from these households, and also you meet everybody out right here on the island that is aware of somebody or has been affected firsthand. Maui’s small. Hawaii’s very, very small. Folks know everybody. Simply obtained emotional.
“Having the ability to hit that first tee shot, it was an honor simply to have the ability to do this and, yeah, it is an effective way to kick off the brand new 12 months.”
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