Greensboro,NC - Blake Brown of Cypress, Texas set the pace in Tuesday’s opening round of the Wyndham Invitational presented by Odyssey, firing a 5-under-par 65.
The Texas Christian University commit started the day in stellar fashion, carding four birdies on the back nine while avoiding any bogeys before making the turn. As the leaderboard tightened, Brown continued his strong performance with three more birdies on the front nine to secure the lead.
"I kept the ball in play today and made some good putts which is what kept me in it. If I can do the same thing the next two days, I will be pretty happy with myself."
Following closely behind Brown is a four-way tie for second place. Preston Hage, Chase Hughes, Connor Herrera and Kuan Zhou each shot a 4-under-par 66 in the first round.
Preston Hage of Raleigh, North Carolina, delivered a bogey-free round, highlighted by three birdies on the back nine and one on the front.
Connor Herrera of San Diego, California, began on No. 10 and posted a solid back nine. After making the turn, Herrera carded a bogey-free front nine that included four birdies.
Chase Hughes of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, got off to a strong start with a birdie on the opening hole. He added two more birdies on the front nine and finished with a bogey-free back nine to put himself in prime position heading into the second round.
Kuan Zhou of Walton-on-Thames, United Kingdom, impressed early with four birdies on the front nine. He capped off his round with an eagle on the Par-5 No.15 to round out his 66.
Tournament History
The Wyndham Invitational has occurred annually since 2002, changing host venues each year.
Noteworthy host courses have included:
- The Cardinal Golf and Country Club
- Forest Oaks Country Club
Notable past champions include:
- Brian Harman (2002, 2003)
- Justin Thomas (2009)
- Henry Guan (2022)
- Blades Brown (2023)
Seven of the Top 30 Players in the Rolex AJGA Rankings
No. 4 Asher Vargas of Spring, Texas
No. 13 Jessy Huebner of Port St. Louie, Florida
No. 20 Giuseppe Puebla of Royal Palm Beach, Florida
No. 21 Phillip Dunham of Ponte Verda Beach, Florida
No. 22 Chase Hughes of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
No. 26 Cole Stockard of Dalton, Georgia
No. 28 Brooks Simmons of Dallas, Texas
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