Los Angeles (United States) (AFP) – Sweden’s Ludvig Aberg fired a superb nine-under-par 63 to take a two-shot lead after the first round of the PGA Tour’s Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines in California on Wednesday. Aberg reeled off eight birdies and an eagle with one solitary bogey to card the lowest-scoring opening round of his career, taking advantage of perfect conditions on Torrey Pines’ North Course.
“Super happy with the way we kind of came out of the gates today and played some good golf,” the 25-year-old said afterwards. “Any golf course when it looks like this, when you have the views — Torrey Pines is a really, really cool place.”
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Teeing off on the back nine, Aberg was in the groove quickly, reeling off three straight birdies followed by a birdie on his fifth hole of the day and an eagle to reach the turn at six under. Four more birdies down the stretch and a lone bogey on his 11th hole completed a stellar round.
Aberg is two shots clear of Americans Danny Walker and Hayden Springer, who finished the first round in joint second after shooting seven-under-par 65s. Walker’s round came on the more challenging South Course at Torrey Pines, with the 29-year-old from Florida carding seven birdies in a bogey-free round. “Was really just trying to hit the middle of the green a lot of times and then rolled in some putts and that’s how I shot a good score,” Walker said. “I think I hit every green, which is rare, especially on a course that challenging.”
Four players — Lanto Griffin, Zac Blair, Zach Johnson, and South Africa’s Aldrich Potgieter — are a further shot back on six under after starting on the North Course. Another South African, Erik van Rooyen, and France’s Antoine Rozner are among 10 players on five under. Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama, the world number four and the highest-ranked player in the field in California this week, is with 10 other players tied for 18th on four under.
© 2024 AFP
