PLAYA DEL CARMEN, Mexico — Matt Kuchar decided at the last minute to play the Mayakoba Golf Classic and made it look like a smart move Thursday.
Kuchar missed only two fairways at El Camaleon Golf Club, key to good scoring, and kept bogeys off his card for a 7-under 64 that gave him a share of the lead with Dominic Bozzelli and PGA Tour rookie Kramer Hickok.
Kuchar has gone more than four years since his last PGA Tour victory. His 64 was his lowest opening round on tour since a 64 in the 2017 Phoenix Open.
“It’s an amazing resort, Mayakoba. So to be able to bring the family to enjoy some vacation time, it’s a bit of a working vacation,” Kuchar said.
“I had a good time at the office as well.”
Most players did, with more than half of the 132-man field in the 60s.
Jordan Spieth was not among them.
Playing his second straight week in the fall – and his last tournament before his wedding – Spieth traded birdies and bogeys, and had to settle for an even-par 71, leaving him in need of a good round Friday just to stick around for the weekend.
Among those in the large group at 65 was Abraham Ancer, whose tie for fourth last week in Las Vegas moved him to No. 98 in the world. That made Ancer the first Mexican golfer to crack the top 100 in the world ranking, and he carried that to his native soil and kept moving in the right direction.
Also at 65 were Bud Cauley as he returns from a car accident at the Memorial in early June, and defending champion Patton Kizzire, who made back-to-back eagles on the par-5 fifth hole and by holing out on the par-4 sixth.
Rickie Fowler was among those at 66.
LPGA: Top-ranked Ariya Jutanugarn shot a 4-under 68 to take a four-stroke lead at the halfway point of the Blue Bay LPGA tournament at Hainan Island, China.
EUROPEAN TOUR: Sergio Garcia flew into a four-shot lead at the Nedbank Golf Challenge in Sun City, South Africa, after an 8-under 64 secured the biggest first-round advantage on the European Tour for a year.
CHAMPIONS TOUR: Paul Goydos and Tim Petrovic shot 8-under 63 to share the lead in the Charles Schwab Cup Championship at Phoenix, leaving points leader Bernhard Langer seven strokes back in the season finale.
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