MEXICO CITY – South Africa’s Erik van Rooyen was soaring high after he grabbed two eagles in an eight-under 63 on Feb 22 to take a one-stroke first-round lead in the PGA Tour’s Mexico Open.
Van Rooyen, who added five birdies with just one bogey, gave himself a seven-footer for eagle at the par-five sixth in Puerto Vallarta. His eagle at the 12th was more spectacular – a chip-in from 70 feet.
“Twelve’s a funky one because we played it into the wind in the practice round and you obviously can’t get there for two. So today was downwind, smash three-wood and just a beautiful little pitch,” he said.
“It’s something I’ve been working really hard on and to see that go in, it feels good.”
After his only bogey at 15th, he birdied the par-five 18th to finish one stroke in front of Finland’s Sami Valimaki.
South African MJ Dafue, Sweden’s Henrik Norlander, American David Lipsky and Chile’s Cristobal Del Solar were tied for third on 65.
Van Rooyen is gunning for a second PGA Tour title in Mexico, having won the World Wide Technology Championship at Los Cabos last November for a second title to go with his 2021 Barracuda Championship victory.
One day after his 34th birthday, the South African said he believes he is “stepping into my best golf”.
“Had a few injuries the last few years and I’m finally healthy and good golf’s starting to show up,” he said. “So I like to think the best golf is still ahead of me.”
Meanwhile, Tiger Wood’s son Charlie was unsuccessful in his first attempt at qualifying for a PGA Tour event. The 15-year-old carded a 12 at the par-four seventh hole and finished 16-over 86 on Feb 22 at Lost Lake Golf Club in Florida.
The pre-qualifying event was one of four for the PGA Tour’s Cognizant Classic in The Palm Beaches, formerly known as the Honda Classic.
The younger Woods was four over through his first six holes. He rebounded from a disastrous performance on the seventh to piece together six straight pars before recording a double-bogey on No. 14.
One of his playing partners was Olin Browne Jr, who is the son of the three-time PGA Tour winner by the same name. He carded a 72.
The top 25 finishers and ties will advance to the event’s qualifier on Feb 26 at the Tesoro Club’s Palmer Course in Port St Lucie, Florida.
From there, four players will earn a spot in the field for the Cognizant Classic on Feb 29-March 3 at PGA National Champion Course in Palm Beach Gardens.
Thailand’s Patty Tavatanakit moved into a three-way tie for the lead on Feb 23 after the second round of the Honda LPGA Thailand tournament in Pattaya.
She shot her second straight five-under par 67 to move to 10-under 206, alongside Sweden’s Madelene Sagstrom (67) and South Korea’s Kim Sei-young (68). AFP, REUTERS
