|
Rahm, who last week was the only amateur to make the cut at
the U.S. Open, fired seven birdies at the event which benefits
Woods's charitable foundation to lead Venezuela's Jhonattan
Vegas by a stroke.
"I was really comfortable off the tee with the driver, hitting
it good and hitting it straight, so that allowed me to be a
little more aggressive and it paid off," Rahm said.
The start of the first round at Congressional Country Club in
Bethesda, Maryland, was delayed by two hours due to
thunderstorms in the area, but it did little to unsettle Rahm.
The 21-year-old, who started his round at the 10th, posted three
birdies over his first nine holes before picking up another four
on the way home.
Smooth-swinging South African Ernie Els, Colombian Camilo
Villegas and American Bill Haas were in a group of eight a
further shot off the pace.
Defending champion Troy Merritt carded an even-par 71 after
mixing three birdies with three bogeys.
Tournament host Woods, who has not competed on the PGA Tour in
10 months, is not playing in his own event as he is still
recovering from two back surgeries he had last year.
(Reporting by Frank Pingue in Toronto; Editing by Peter
Rutherford)
[© 2016 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2016 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
 |
|
