Golf: Rickie Fowler masters 'mud balls' on way to first-round lead in Houston

Rickie Fowler lines up a putt on the 10th hole during the first round of the Shell Houston Open. PHOTO: AFP

HOUSTON (REUTERS) - Rickie Fowler, with one eye on the Masters, turned the other eye to the task at hand, coping with a number of "mud balls" to surge into the first-round lead at the Shell Houston Open in Texas on Thursday.

The American ended his day in style, very nearly grabbing a hole-in-one at the 230-yard par-three ninth, his ball rolling past the edge of the cup before settling five feet away, setting up a birdie.

He rolled in seven birdies from inside 10 feet for a bogey-free eight-under 64 and a one-shot advantage over South Korean Kang Sung Hoon, who missed a short putt at the final hole.

Former world No.4 Fowler had skipped last week's World Golf Championships matchplay event, preferring instead to play the week before the Masters.

"I like playing my way into Majors and they've been able to do a great job here making it as similar to possible of what we may see next week," Fowler told reporters. "I love playing here. Just playing and going through the process and getting ready makes it easier when you tee it up Thursday next week."

Fowler said several of his drives had collected mud on the damp fairways at the Golf Club of Houston, leading to some guess work on approach shots, with the flight of the ball difficult to predict.

But he did not have to worry about mud on the four par-threes, where he could peg it up, making three birdies.

"I was fortunate enough to take advantage of the par-threes and managed my way around nicely with mud balls, as everyone did," he said. "Yes, the golf course was gettable but tough when you're playing in those conditions with mud balls."

Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.