Thompson, Garcia share first-round lead
PALM BEACH GARDENS — Blustery winds made for tough scoring in Thursday’s opening round of the Honda Classic, but those who went low were able to scratch out more birdies than bogeys.
Michael Thompson, whose lone PGA Tour victory came here in 2013, and Sergio Garcia both shot 5-under-par 65s to share the first-round lead.
Rickie Fowler and William McGirt were tied for third at 66. Five others shot 67 on the Champion course at PGA National Resort & Spa where the wind was 15-25 mph out of the westnorthwest.
Among those who struggled in front of a record firstday crowd was 2012 champ and No. 3-ranked Rory McIlroy, who had four bird- ies but also four bogeys and a double-bogey for a 72 that put him in a tie for 65th.
Daniel Berger of Jupiter, who finished second last year after losing a playoff to Padraig Harrington, was tied for 81st with the Irishman at 73. Ninth-ranked Patrick Reed shot 74.
Garcia got off to a great start when he holed an 8-iron into the wind from 148 yards for an eagle on the par-4 2nd hole. He added three more birdies on the front, then birdied the par-5 18th for his lowest round ever at the Honda.
His only bogey was on the 6th hole when he drove into the water on the left, hit a pitching wedge into the fairway, reached the green and two-putted.
“I almost made 4, which would have been a great 4,” the Spaniard said. “I’m not going to lie, I was happy with a 5.
“Even though it was difficult, it was a good day to enjoy.”
Thompson, who finished after Garcia on Thursday afternoon, had two bogeys, five birdies and an eagle-3 and nines of 31-34 for his 65.
“I played really solid today. I hit the ball in the center of the clubface, which on a windy day like today, that’s what you need to do in order to control your ball,” Thompson said.
“You’ve just got to hit sol- id golf shots and when the wind starts blowing, it’s anybody’s ballgame. It really brings out the players who are the most patient and willing to continue to fight even through a few bogeys here or there.”
McGirt started his round with a three-putt bogey from 30 feet when he left his first putt six feet short. That told him the greens were slow, and he birdied four of the next six holes to get to 3 under.
He started the back nine with bogeys at 10 and 12, but birdies at 16, 17 and 18 got him to 4 under.
“To birdie the last three was just a great way to finish,” McGirt said. “At 16 I just hit 3-wood off the tee. I had 201 [yards to the] hole and couldn’t have hit a 4-iron another foot. It ended up about three feet.
“Then 17 I was trying to hit something to get it mid- dle of the green and made a 17-footer there. And then 18, the 3-wood just trickled over [the green] into the rough … Chipped it up to about five feet and knocked that in.”
Asked which hole intimidated him the most Thursday, McGirt said, “One through 18.”
“This is not the kind of golf course that you’re going to see 10 or 12 guys go out and play a bogey-free round every day. I’d say we might have one a day, if we’re lucky, around this place. It’s just not a place that lends itself to going out there and having a good, clean scorecard,” he said.
“You’ll see guys have a bunch of birdies, but they are going to have a bogey or two. That’s just the way this place is.”
Fowler did go bogey free. He had three birdies on the front and a birdie at18 for his 66.