Hometown hero Rafael Campos fired eight birdies in his eight-under par 64 on Thursday to seize a one-shot lead after the first round of the US PGA Tour’s Puerto Rico Open.
Despite playing in tougher afternoon conditions, Campos overtook early pace-setter George McNeil, the 2012 champion who had eight birdies and a bogey in a seven-under 65 that left him in solo second place.
Defending champion Alex Cejka of Germany was tied for third on 66 alongside Australian Aaron Baddeley and Americans Frank Lickliter and Will MacKenzie. “The course is playing tricky you’ve got to make good shots,” Cejka said of the Coco Beach layout. “I made a lot of good putts today it gave me a lot of chances. I’m very pleased with the round today.”
Cejka said arriving as defending champion gave him a lift. “You come to the golf course you have great memories,” he said. “There’s something in the air.”
Baddeley played his last four holes in four-under, chipping in for eagle at the par-five 15th and closing with birdies at 17 and 18. “I played really nice today,” said Baddeley. “I felt like I really only hit two poor shots. It’s not easy in this wind, you’ve got to be patient and that’s what I was trying to do. To have a fast finish like that was pretty exciting.”
The $3 million tournament is played opposite the World Golf Championships Match Play in Austin, Texas, where world number one Jordan Spieth leads a field of the world’s top golfers in search of a $1.62 million first prize.
Leading first-round scores
64 - Rafael Campos (PUR)
65 - George McNeill
66 - Alex Cejka (GER), Aaron Baddeley (AUS), Frank Lickliter, Will MacKenzie
67 - Billy Mayfair, Cameron Beckman, Mark Hubbard, Michael Bradley, Kyle Reifers, Darron Stiles, Adam Svensson (CAN)
68 - Michael Thompson, Tim Herron