SAN ANTONIO (AP) – Veterans Padraig Harrington and Matt Kuchar each shot 4 under 68 on Thursday to share an early lead with MJ Daffue and Roberto Diaz in the weather-delayed first round of the game. Valero Texas Open.
Daffue hit the 18th par-5 hole at TPC San Antonio and Diaz recorded a birdie on the 18th to join Harrington, 51 – who has played on the PGA Tour, European tour and PGA Tour Champions this year – and 44 Kuchar – age at the top of the charts.
“I’m an optimist, pretty enthusiastic,” Harrington said. “I wake up and as soon as I hit a golf swing. I dream I’ll find out the secret. Even if you don’t, you’re always hoping, dreaming. Let’s see if I’m really better out there with the kids. .”
The match was postponed due to fog in the morning, making it impossible for the afternoon half to finish their innings on Thursday. Of the late starters, Justin Lower hit 5 to 8 holes and Patrick Rodgers 4 to 13 when play was halted because of dark.
Matt Wallace – last week’s winner in the Dominican Republic – shot 69 alongside Garrick Higgo, Harry Higgs, Chez Reavie and Nick Taylor.
Daffee had the biggest ending. He hit a 27-foot ball to score a birdie on the 17th par-4. He hit a 291-yard second shot on the back edge of the green on the 18th, and converted a 14-foot hit from the edge to a 5 under 31 on the latter nine.
“It was a lie jump (on the 18th),” said Daffue, “and it was right at the max of my 7 tree and I said ‘I’m going to hit it. I’m feeling this.’ It was a good day.”
34-year-old Daffee is looking for his first PGA Tour win. Diaz, competing with a sponsor waiver, finished with a 14-foot birdie.
Harrington and Kuchar are both looking for their first win of the decade. Kuchar won twice in 2019. Harrington, who won four times last year on the over-50s tour, hasn’t won the PGA Tour since the 2015 Honda Classic. The three-time major champion’s most recent European tour was the 2016 Portuguese Masters.
This month, Harrington was announced as a 2024 inductee at the World Golf Hall of Fame. The last time he made the top 3 after the first round was at the PGA National eight years ago, when he won.
A win this week will also put Harrington in masters for the second time since 2015; he failed at Augusta National last year.
Harrington started on the back nine and made three birdies in a row around the turn and two more on the fourth and fifth holes before finishing with four straight shots.
Kuchar opened with a ghost in 10th place, then sat for more than two hours before the fog cleared. He made three birdies on the last five of his first nine, then converted the 3-footed shot into a birdie on holes 5 and 8.
“If you start playing some lethargic golf, this course can jump up and bite you,” says Kuchar. “I was lucky to escape a few loose shots today. For the most part, my game was pretty good and I enjoyed the course.”
Copyright 2023 by STATS LLC and Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and the Associated Press is strictly prohibited.
