Detroit — Here’s a snapshot look at Round 1 of the final Rocket Classic at Detroit Golf Club on Thursday.
Round 1 recap
The fans came out in droves early Thursday, and they were treated to a show from the start, as scoring was low, low, low in the morning wave of the first round. Peter Malnati, 39, was the ringleader, opening with a 9-under 61 that put us all on 59 Watch when he shot an opening 28 and was 8 under through 13 holes. But he burned some edges on putts over his final five holes to settle for the lowest round of his PGA Tour career and a two-stroke lead over 2023 Rocket Classic champion Rickie Fowler and Ryan Gerard.
Shot of the day
If there was an optometrist in the gallery at the par-3 15th, they could’ve picked up quite a few new customers Thursday when the gallery near the tee went crazy on Keegan Bradley’s tee shot. The pin was tucked over a bunker, so it appeared the ball disappeared for an ace, triggering the roar. Bradley knew better, though. “I don’t think it’s in,” said Wyndham Clark, Bradley’s playing partner. “I’d rather the guys by the green yelling,” said Scott Vail, Bradley’s caddie. “That’s always a better sign.” Clark and Vail were right. The ball was 12 feet, 6 inches behind the ball. No worries. Bradley rolled it in for a birdie en route to an opening 65.
Holes of the day
Not a surprise here. The two holes that were converted to par-4s amid the extensive Detroit Golf renovation, Nos. 7 and 17, played as the hardest holes in Round 1. No. 17, playing 525 yards, was the hardest, at 4.34 strokes, and yielded only five birdies out of 147 players. No. 7, playing 508 yards, was the second-hardest, with 15 birdies. There were a combined 12 double-bogeys or worse on the two holes. There actually were two triples or worse on the seventh. The two holes, as short par-5s, played as the easiest two holes for each of the first seven playings of the Rocket Classic.
Stat of the day
61 — Peter Malnati’s 61 was the lowest first-round score by any player on the PGA Tour this season. Nine players have opened with a 62, with only one of them, Justin Lower at the Farmers Insurance Open, going on to win.
Quotable
“The greens will be way better tomorrow morning. I feel like with a new course it just kind of happens that the greens aren’t settled quite as much, so when there’s a lot of foot traffic it gets even more bumpy as the day goes on. So, I felt like the greens were really challenging.” — Ben Griffin, who opened with a 2-under 68, on the greens during the afternoon wave Thursday, when scoring was higher than in the morning wave.
Overheard
“F— yeah, Kang!” — An excited fan to Jeffrey Kang after he rolled in a 21-foot birdie putt at the par-5 fourth hole. The fan told Kang that putt just made him $560 on the sports-betting apps. Kang, who par-70, heard the fan, and smiled.
Locals watch
Patrick Wilkes-Krier: The Ann Arbor native and longtime local teaching pro, making his first PGA Tour start since the 2016 U.S. Open, opened with a 4-over 74 as a nice-sized gallery of friends and family, including his wife and two daughters, followed along. Wilkes-Krier, 42, got in the field by winning the Michigan PGA Championship.
Joe Hooks: The Detroiter and Wayne State alum, 33, who is playing in the Rocket Classic for a second straight year on a sponsor’s exemption, opened with a 6-over 76. His round included a triple-bogey and a double-bogey.
AREA 313 update
The AREA 313 Challenge is back, triggering a $313,000 charitable donation from Rocket Companies should any player go 3-1-3 on Nos. 14-16 (eagle-ace-birdie) at any point in the tournament. The challenge has yet to be won in, this, the seventh year of the tournament. On Thursday, three players made eagle at 14 and birdie at 16: Rickie Fowler, Jake Knapp and Rico Hoey. They just need the hole-in-one. What’s so hard about that?
tpaul@detroitnews.com
@tonypaul1984
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Rocket recap: Highlights from Day 1 of the Rocket Classic at DGC
Reporting by Tony Paul, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Tony Paul, The Detroit News | USA TODAY Network
