Houston (AFP) – Texan Taylor Moore nabbed his ninth birdie of the day at his final hole to seize a one-shot lead over Brooks Koepka and Jesper Svensson in the CJ Cup Byron Nelson on Thursday. Moore, who won his lone PGA Tour title at the 2023 Valspar Championship, teed off on 10 at TPC Craig Ranch in McKinney, Texas, and piled up four birdies in his first nine holes and five more coming in. That included a 14-footer at the par-five ninth for a nine-under 62 that vaulted him over early pace-setter Koepka.
“Obviously pretty stoked,” Moore said, adding that his distance control into the greens was key. “I was really pleased with the iron shots I hit,” he said.
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Meanwhile, Koepka’s switch to a new putter paid dividends as the five-time major-winner carded an eight-under 63, his lowest score since returning to the PGA Tour this year after a spell with the breakaway LIV Golf league. “Finally, I felt good with the putter,” said the American, who had an eagle and six birdies.
Koepka also teed off on 10 and jump-started his round with a 17-foot birdie putt at the 11th. He rolled in a 13-foot eagle putt at the 12th and holed four putts from outside 10 feet on the day, needing just 25 putts in total. “Just happy with the way everything went today,” Koepka said. His return to the PGA Tour came with limited playing privileges, but he could gain entry to the final two elite signature events of the season with a victory this week. “It would be fantastic,” Koepka said. “I feel like I’m knocking on the door, and I’m very, very close. I would love to have a chance on Sunday.”
Svensson joined Koepka on eight-under with a round that included nine birdies with one bogey. The leaderboard was crowded in suburban Dallas, where local resident Kim Si-woo of South Korea conjured eight birdies and headlined a group of seven players on seven-under 64. Hank Lebioda eagled two par-four holes to join a group of five players on six-under 65, and world number one Scottie Scheffler — the defending champion — led another big group on five-under 66.
“I did some good stuff,” Scheffler said. “It’s just a matter of getting closer and holing a few more putts.”
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