RSM Classic leaderboard, scores: Former college star Cole Hammer, Justin Suh cruises in Round 1 at Sea Island
While this time of year isn’t necessarily known for the stars and superstars appearing on the PGA Tour, interesting stories still often pop up and it looks like that will be the case this weekend. at RSM Classic. Former Texas star Cole Hammer took the lead and former USC star Justin Suh wasn’t far behind Round 1 at Sea Island, Georgia, in the final PGA Tour event of the fall.
Hammer went out and shot an 8 under 64 at Plantation Course by birdie on half of his holes. At the under-8s point, he leads Ben Griffin by one point with Suh leading Griffin by one point. The Hammers hit 15 of the 18 regulatory greens, which helps, but even the former world No. 1 amateur is a bit surprised at the number of shots that fall on a cold day near the Atlantic.
“I was almost mesmerized there for a bit,” says Hammer. “Everything went by in a split second, but at the same time it was a long day. It was cold and like I said a little bit before, I had very few expectations. And I’m glad I did because it was such a big day. tough day out there, no question I think… par was a good one today and I find myself putting putts to get the birdie very early and then just going like that. yes, but what a day.”
Hammer, who had conditional status on the Korn Ferry Tour but had never made it to the PGA Tour until last week at the Houston Open, has clearly brought some mental and perhaps physical motivation to the latter RSM. at the end of his T27 in Houston.
“This summer has been tough on the PGA Tour,” said Hammer, who has only played the 15th event of his career on the Tour. “I had some good finishes on the Korn Ferry, but I beat on the PGA Tour. I needed to get that monkey off my back. To do that in my hometown event in Houston was a lot of work. big for me, I told my parents, but the first tee in Houston was like the most nervous tee I’ve ever had, just with the hometown crowd.
“It was crazy because I played in the Walker Cup and stuff. But anyway, basically, I told myself I would never worry like that again. After that, I felt comfortable. roof and see I hit a good lap on the Tour and now I believe I can do it.”
Hammer has talked about how he thinks this summer you have to play perfect golf on the PGA Tour to achieve any success, but it’s great to see that’s not the case. You can get some bogey, you can have a few bad holes and still be on the PGA Tour. This is a common theme for players as they mature. In particular, Max Homa has pretty much discussed this idea throughout his career. Hammer is a good player and has had a fascinating career. He played at the 2015 US Open at the age of 14 before becoming a star in Austin, Texas. With 45-1 to win after Round 1, he could easily play “nobody believes in me”, but the pedigree is strong, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he stayed in the draw until Sunday.
Suh, another former world No. 1 amateur tennis player, is about to have a hugely successful 2022. After rallying the top 10 at this year’s Korn Ferry Tour, Suh was named that tournament’s Player of the Year this week and was celebrated by dropping a 6-under 66 on the field at Plantation Course.
“I think just getting a grip on this, as I think the third week on the road will definitely help,” says Suh. “I think confidence wise, maybe subconscious [winning the KFT Player of the Year] do [help]. Yeah, I mean, it still feels great, but I think in terms of performance, I think just being on the road for three weeks, it’s like being in a game of golf.
Suh has stars written all over him. Although it took him longer to develop than some of his peers, he was part of a team that included Viktor Hovland, Matthew Wolff and Collin Morikawa that turned pro shortly after the 2019 US Open. He’s made three straight cuts on the PGA Tour and will be a tough opponent for the next 54 holes.
A win this weekend will quietly make him one of the more compelling young players to watch in 2023. Here is a list of the top 10 after Round 1 at the RSM Classic.
1st round standings
- 1. Cole Hammer: -8
- 2. Ben Griffin: -7
- T3. Beau Hossler: -6
- T3. Callum Tarren: -6
- T3. Justin Suh: -6
- T6. Stephan Jaeger: -5
- T6. Brian Harman: -5
- T6. David Lingmerth: -5
- T6. Webb Simpson: -5
- T6. Chris Gotterup: -5
- T6. Henrik Norlander: -5
- T6. Alex Smalley: -5
- T6. Keith Mitchell: -5
- T6. Russel Knox: -5
- T6. Harry Higgs: -5
- T6. Andrew Putnam: -5
Putnam is really the new favorite with 10-1, closely followed by Seamus Power (-4) with 12-1 and Brian Harman and Beau Hossler with 14-1. Hammer is 45-1, and Suh is 30-1 after they started solidly on Thursday.
