South Africa’s Garrick Higgo was a stroke behind the leaders when the first round of the PGA Tour’s Puerto Rico Open was suspended.
Play resumed after a two-hour rain delay but bad light meant that a number of players were unable to finish their rounds at Grande Reserve Golf Club in Rio Grande.
Higgo’s round of 66 included seven bogies and a birdie, and left him on six under along with Americans Brice Garnett, Erik Barnes and Kevin Streelman.
Americans Scott Piercy and Joe Highsmith shared the clubhouse lead.
Piercy, starting on the back nine, made an eagle on the par-four 14th, where he holed out from the fairway, but made three bogeys in his seven-under round of 65.
He repaired the damage with birdies on his final three holes and made it into the clubhouse before the worst of the rain.
“I hit some really good shots … I played most of the hard holes pretty well,” he said.
In contrast, Highsmith was bogey free for his 65.
“It was a pretty good day all around, like smooth sailing, for sure,” he said. “I just stayed out of trouble all day and did a pretty good job just sticking to my process all day. Made a lot of putts early, which helps get the day going, for sure. Just kind of kept on the gas all day, so it was great.”
Japan’s Satoshi Kodaira and Ryo Hisatune, Denmark’s Rasmus Hojgaard. Scotland’s Martin Laird, German Matti Schmid and local favorite Rafael Campos were all in the group on five under.
The tournament is played opposite this week’s Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill, one of the PGA Tour’s signature events designed to showcase the game’s top talent.
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Photo: Andy Lyons/Getty Images
