2022 AT&T Byron Nelson Leaderboard: Sebastian Munoz sets PGA Tour record with 60 for the second time this season

AT&T Byron Nelson’s first round hit the record on Thursday as the course (and PGA Tour) scoring record was set and some of the top players in the field challenged for the lead after 18 holes. Sebastian Munoz burned TPC Craig Ranch early with a score of 60 (including bogey!) as Masters champions Jordan Spieth and Scottie Scheffler both hit the top runs later in the day when conditions turned tough much more.

While the top of the table isn’t sexy (with the exception of one teammate, which we’ll get to shortly), the entire tournament is going to be awesome over the next three days with some running overhead along with some Great champion chase.

This tournament has always had a low score, no matter where it is held – from TPC Four Seasons to Trinity Forest and now TPC Craig Ranch – and the only thing that can change that is the high winds for a few days next. On the other hand, 59 is actually playing, and given the quality of golfers in the field and a bit further across this board, that’s a very real possibility.

Let’s take a look back at Munoz’s round and the rest of Round 1 on Thursday and what’s to come in Round 2.

Leader

Sebastian Munoz (-12): Some people love number 59, but I like 60 with a shot like Munoz on Thursday. It’s hipster number 59. More importantly, it set the course record, tied for the league record and gave him a four-stroke advantage to get to Round 2. It was also his 60th or better shot of the season. one with the other came in Round 1 of the RSM Classic, where he went on to finish third. Incredibly on Thursday, Munoz lost just 2 under in his first 8 holes before finishing 10 under 10 on his last 10. This is what the card looks like then:

• Number 9: Falcon
• No. 10: Birdie
• Number 11: Birdie
• No. 12: Falcon
• Number 13: Par
• Number 14: Birdie
• 15: Par
• No. 16: Birdie
• No.17: Birdie
• No. 18: Birdie

“It’s a great feeling whenever things like flashing, hitting tees, balls flying out the window you imagine,” Munoz said. “…When things are going, stay away and let it happen. So that’s what I did.”

Golf… it’s simple. Oh, and Munoz accomplished something unprecedented in PGA Tour history on Thursday. Combined with his 60th record at the RSM, he became the first player in PGA Tour history to shoot 60 or better twice in the same season.

Other candidates

T2. Mito Pereira, Peter Malnati, KH Lee, Justin Lower (-8)

6. Kyle Wilshire (-7)

Lee is one of the more stellar characters on the PGA Tour and the player I’m talking about when it comes to leaderboard charm. This is the quote that Lee, who won the tournament last year a week before the PGA Championship, is best known (and with good reason).

“First [goal] is to be the number one golfer in the world,” Lee once said. And the second is to become the world’s number 1 sexiest golfer. “

He shot 64 while playing with Scheffler and Spieth, which is charming and has a chance of coming back despite only a top 10 in the 26 starts since that win at TPC Craig Ranch. In five innings of that course, he’s currently 33 (!!).

Master Champion Thrives

Speaking of Scheffler and Spieth, they shot a total of 10 bottom with Lee, meaning that group was under 18 on the day. Scheffler is his usual elite (3.21 strokes his hit is actually just above his average for the year so far), but Spieth is a much more curious case. He’s hitting the ball out of hell – statistically as much as he’s been hitting it from tee for years – but every other part of his game is pretty average (especially against with him). It’s hard to see how this has to be, but it’s clear that if he can clean his game from fairway to holing out, he’s going to have a terrible summer. With three major championships on deck, that could mean an already-elite resume even longer.

Another player whose finish impresses me is Justin Thomas. He made it past his first 2 even holes on a day where anything in the ’70s is a pretty mediocre score but he netted 4 birdies and an eagle in the last 11 holes. his to play his way into the top 25 after day one and stay in the hunt. There was no better performance in golf when JT was changing pace with his iron, and he hit six of his last 11 approach shots at 12 feet or closer. .

Rick Gehman and Kyle Porter recap Thursday’s action at AT&T Byron Nelson. Follow and listen to The First Cut on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

Statistics of the day

At the end of any season, the set of rounds where a player has hit at least 10 shots on the field can usually count on one hand. Munoz accomplished that on Thursday by finishing 10.21 better than the on-court average, and according to Justin Ray, this is the first time in this season that someone excelled more than 10 people on the field. It’s an unrealistic number that is both rare on the PGA Tour and may not receive the credit it deserves. 60 can be mocked because it’s an easy golf course – it is – but you have to respect when someone is better than 10 or so all the best players in the world.

Updated odds and selections

Here are the new odds after 18 holes, provided by Caesars Sportsbook.

• Sebastian Munoz: 3-1
• Scottie Scheffler: 8-1
• Mito Pereira: 12-1
• KH Lee: 14-1
• Justin Thomas: 14-1
• Dustin Johnson: 14-1
• Jordan Spieth: 16-1
• Hideki Matsuyama: 20-1
• Joaquin Niemann: 22-1
• Seamus Strength: 22-1

Scheffler is getting all the respect because he and Spieth are both 7 returns, and his odds are half that of Spieth. It’s worth it, but that number is too short. If you’re merely looking at sustainability, I really don’t think Munoz is so bad at 3-1, but it’s Lee that I love with 14-1. He’s second to Munoz in terms of strokes won from tee to green on Thursday and clearly loves the course. I can easily see him coming back this week even without much momentum appearing. In addition, Spieth with a score of 16-1 is very attractive. If the polisher gets hot, have the curtains ready.