KAPALUA, Hawaii — Collin Morikawa already has gained two majors and performed within the opening session twice within the Ryder Cup. His opening tee shot Thursday at Kapalua felt as particular as any second.
Lengthy earlier than Sahith Theegala rolled in his tenth birdie for a 9-under 64 to guide The Sentry, the PGA Tour started a brand new yr with a ceremony on the primary tee. It featured a Hawaiian blessing and chants geared towards renewal and regrowth, with emphasis on the lethal Lahaina fires.
Morikawa has a deep connection to Maui and hit the opening tee shot.
The place it went — straight and so lengthy it rolled by way of the green into the tough — was of little significance to him.
“As particular because it’s ever going to get,” Morikawa stated of the primary of his 65 pictures on Thursday. “I can speak about last rounds, final pictures, first tee, last group and people within the majors, however that was as massive of an honor as I may have had. Not as a result of it was the primary match of the yr, however as a result of it was out right here in Maui, every thing that this week represents for me.
“It simply means that rather more.”
He performed prefer it meant extra, with six birdies and one eagle when he carved a 3-wood as much as the elevated inexperienced for eagle on the par-5 ninth.
On this superb day of surprisingly little wind and typical magnificent views, Morikawa had loads of firm. His 65 was the perfect of the day till Theegala warmed up, beginning the again 9 with six straight birdies. He acquired up-and-down on the par-5 18th for one final birdie.
That gave him a one-shot lead over Morikawa, FedEx Cup champion Viktor Hovland, Sungjae Im, Camilo Villegas and Jason Day.
Theegala made his Kapalua debut final yr by reaching the Tour Championship as a rookie. Now the sphere at The Sentry — for years restricted solely to PGA Tour winners from the earlier yr — has been expanded to winners and the highest 50 within the FedEx Cup. Theegala could be there it doesn’t matter what, because of his win in Napa, California, in September.
The 59-player discipline is the biggest ever for Kapalua, they usually all had their approach on a forgiving Plantation course lacking its nice protection with solely a tropical breeze.
Theegala nonetheless needed to work — an 18-foot putt on No. 10, a tee shot to 2 toes on the par-3 eleventh, after which his favourite, a 10-foot birdie on a twelfth gap with a lot slope and grain he wasn’t positive how the putt was going to interrupt.
“I simply aimed it lifeless heart and tried to hit it onerous,” he stated. “That settled me down a bit of bit extra, as a result of I knew 13, 14, 15 have been very gettable, too.”
And he acquired them, capping his streak with a two-putt birdie from 20 toes on the par-5 fifteenth.
It felt that approach for everybody.
Eighteen gamers have been at 67 or decrease, and that was to be anticipated. The Plantation course’s greatest protection is the wind, and it laid down for a lot of the day. Even dangerous begins turned out nicely. Justin Rose went out in 40 and had six birdies on the again to salvage a 71.
Jordan Spieth hit the primary foul ball of the yr, pushing his tee shot nicely proper on the third gap into the tall native grasses, resulting in a double bogey. He answered with 9 birdies and was within the group at 7-under 66 that included Patrick Cantlay, Xander Schauffele and Scottie Scheffler, the two-time PGA Tour participant of the yr and No. 1 participant on this planet.
“I did not should wrestle an excessive amount of for pars,” Scheffler stated.
The wind arrived later within the afternoon, however so many gamers have been dialed in.
“You are taking part in golf on the facet of a volcano. It is fairly totally different than numerous the golf we play,” Scheffler stated. “It is undoubtedly a enjoyable approach to begin the yr, enjoyable golf course to play. Although the scores are low, I nonetheless really feel such as you’re challenged rather a lot since you acquired to maintain the pedal down the entire time.”
That is what Morikawa tried to do from the opening group, making his strongest transfer alongside the again 9 with its two par 5s and two brief par 4s.
However it was the beginning that meant a lot.
His grandparents have been born in Lahaina and way back had The Morikawa Restaurant, which closed some twenty years earlier than he was born. However the 26-year-old Californian got here to Lahaina throughout household holidays as a boy.
He was warming up in the course of the ceremony however nonetheless heard the drums, the chants. It was chilling on a balmy day on the west finish of Maui.
“It acquired a bit of bit emotional,” he stated. “I feel simply because I do know what everybody has gone by way of, you hear it from these households, and also you meet everybody out right here on the island that is aware of somebody or has been affected firsthand. Maui’s small. Hawaii’s very, very small. Folks know everybody. Simply acquired emotional.
“Having the ability to hit that first tee shot, it was an honor simply to have the ability to try this and, yeah, it is a good way to kick off the brand new yr.”
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