Golf: Horschel and Bramlett set the pace at Honda Classic
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Billy Horschel is hoping to take advantage of the absence of the top stars to finally clinch a win in his home state.
PHOTO: AFP
MIAMI – Billy Horschel is not afraid of falling ill, as he believes that eases the tension he feels on the golf course when he is at 100 per cent fitness.
On Thursday, he and fellow American Joseph Bramlett shared the first-round lead at the PGA Tour’s Honda Classic after shooting five-under 65s.
The event at Palm Beach Gardens traditionally marks the start of the Florida swing.
But it has lost some appeal to many of the top players on the tour due to the changes in the schedule.
None of the world’s top 10 golfers are playing this week and sponsor Honda is ending its 42-year backing for the event after 2023.
Horschel has lamented the decline of the tournament, but the Floridian, who has seven PGA Tour wins, is hoping to capitalise on the absence of the top stars to finally clinch a win in his home state.
The 36-year-old has been struggling with a sinus infection and said that ailment had counter-intuitively helped him relax for the round, which featured six birdies and a bogey.
“There’s a saying – beware of the injured or sick golfer. I’m not like super, super sick, but I’m just not like a 100 per cent,” he said.
“I think you are just sort of, a little bit easier on yourself. You’re sort of not worrying about everything.”
Starting on the back nine, Horschel sank 30-foot birdie putts on the par-four 11th and 13th holes but then missed a seven-footer on the par-three 15th to bogey.
He got up and down from the bunker for birdie on the par-five 18th and then, after the turn, enjoyed a streak of three straight birdies from the third hole.
Bramlett, searching for a first win on the PGA Tour, was bogey free, starting his round with a 28-foot birdie putt on the par-four 10th.
He then fired a brilliant 42-footer for birdie on the par-three fifth hole.
The 34-year-old Californian ended with a birdie on the par-four ninth after a fine approach shot from 119 yards landed 14 feet from the hole.
“I thought my speed on the greens was the biggest thing I took away from today,” said Bramlett.
“I felt like I had really good feel for speed all day. I kept it out of trouble off the tee.
“So when I do those two things I usually score pretty well.”
Americans Pierceson Coody and Justin Suh were both in the clubhouse a stroke behind the leaders.
Carson Young was one back through 15 holes when darkness stopped play.
Poland’s Adrian Meronk, South Korea’s Im Sung-jae and English pair Matt Wallace and Ben Taylor were among eight players two shots off the lead.
On a tightly packed leaderboard, 13 players shot 68, leaving themselves just three strokes behind Horschel and Bramlett. AFP
