On a tough day for scoring, Charl Schwartzel emerged as the best of the six South Africans through 18 holes at the Wells Fargo Championship at Quail Hollow.
The venue for 2017’s PGA Championship returned as a PGA Tour venue and was relentless as the stellar field struggled to assert their dominance over the course.
Just 33 players broke par on Thursday and they all chase American John Peterson, who sits two clear at -6. Peterson is playing on a medical exemption and has vowed to retire, at just 29, should he fail to earn the $318,096 he needs from three events left on his terms.
Three behind Peterson is Rory McIlroy, teeing it up after his heartbreaking loss at The Masters. With two wins to his name at Quail Hollow already, the Northern Irishman’s start will be just the tonic he needs to move past his latest Augusta miss.
Paul Casey and Jason Day were among seven players at 69 with Schwartzel in the pack shooting 70 during round one. The former Masters champion’s form has been iffy to say the least but after teaming up with Louis Oosthuizen (74) for third last week at the Zurich Classic, his turnaround may finally be stepping up a gear.
His day was far from perfect as he started with a bogey on the 2nd before two birdies to round out his outward nine. Gains at the 10th and 11th were undone but three drops on the back nine, including two in his final three holes with a birdie at the par-five 15th, were his saving grace.
It turned out that 70 was enough to edge in front of Ernie Els, whose wayward tee shot on the 17th cost him a shot, and Rory Sabbatini. Also level on even through 18 was Tiger Woods, like McIlroy making his first competitive swings since April’s opening Major.
‘I hit the ball fine today,’ Woods said. ‘If I just make a few putts, I should be two or three under par, which is fine. I just didn’t make anything today.’
Oosthuizen, who completed his runner-up Major slam here last year, made nine straight pars to start before three bogeys in his next four holes sent him spiralling down the leaderboard. He would birdie the 5th but found the water off the tee on the par-five 7th to hand that shot back as he prepares for a big Friday push if he wants to be active this weekend.
The final South African in the field, Dylan Frittelli, has little chance of making it to Saturday after a nightmare end to his outward nine. A bogey at his 7th was followed by a quadruple drop on the 17th as he found the water twice on the short hole. A bogey on the 18th, the final stretch of Quail Hollow’s ‘Green Mile’ saw him out in 42.
Frittelli did manage to make two birdies on the back nine but both were in response to earlier drops as he sits way down in T135.
Photo: Sam Greenwood/Getty Images
