Christiaan Bezuidenhout had three birdies in his first six holes on Thursday, but he finished the first round of the PGA Tour’s Valspar Championship on two-under-par in a share of 24th place at the Copperhead Course at Innisbrook Resort in Palm Harbor, Florida.
He started his round on the 10th, and he picked up shots on the 11th, 14th and 15th. But he hit his drive on the 16th into the left rough, and he could hack it out on to the fairway. He hit his approach to eight feet, but two-putted from there for his first bogey. He dropped again on the first, after again finding the rough from the tee. His third shot left him just over nine feet for par, but he two-putted again. A birdie on the par-three eighth got him to two-under for his round.
Kevin Streelman had a new ball marker to help with alignment that required USGA approval before he teed off. With that in his armoury, he had 10 consecutive one-putt greens on his way to a seven-under 64 and a one-shot lead.
Kevin Roy, who lost his PGA Tour card last year and is playing on a sponsor exemption, had eight birdies in his round of 65 for second.
Garrick Higgo was the only other South African in the field, and he withdrew before the start of the fist round, likely because of his ongoing wrist injury woes.
