WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W.Va. — Advice from a fellow golfer on the eve of the Greenbrier Classic led Sebastian Muñoz to simplify his putting stroke.
The PGA rookie from Colombia was glad he listened when a 9-under 61 made him the first-day frontrunner.
Muñoz’s terrific afternoon stole Thursday’s headline from 53-year-old Davis Love III, who fired a 7-under round in the morning. Six others were bunched at 6-under 64, including defending champion Danny Lee.
LEADERBOARD: First-round results
At age 24, and two years removed from winning a Conference USA championship at University of North Texas, Muñoz made 10 birdie putts to set the Greenbrier’s first-round scoring record.
Credit shifted to Wednesday night’s 10-minute consultation with Gonzalo Fernández-Castaño, who noticed Muñoz’s eyes were tracking his putter in an attempt to make a perfect stroke.
“He told me, ‘Hey, man, just look at the front of the ball and just try to make contact with it,’” Muñoz said. “So yeah, it worked. I was not thinking make the perfect semicircle. Just one thought and it worked.”
Despite a personal-best score, Muñoz couldn’t help lamenting a missed opportunity to become the eighth golfer to crack 60 on the PGA Tour. He thought back to a 12-foot birdie putt on No. 1 that came up inches short, and then three-putting from 42 feet for par on No. 12.
Muñoz told his caddie: “If we didn’t three-putt on that par-5 I’m pretty sure we would’ve shot 59 today.”
That’s some leap for a young golfer who barely played his first two seasons at UNT and wasn’t sure about playing professionally. It’s an equally stark contrast to the man two strokes behind him, who’s headed into the Hall of Fame in a couple months.
Love birdied four of the first five holes, then drained a 30-foot putt on the 14th. Upon chipping in a bonus birdie from 46 feet on No. 17, he thought back to his own Wednesday afternoon practice session following the pro-am, when he ignored drizzling rain to scoop balls out of the rough.
“Just really never was in trouble the first nine,” said Love, who last won at the 2015 Wyndham Championship. “And then hit a couple bad shots on the back nine and got away with them or got the ball up and down.
“It was one of those days where you knew there were going to be some really good scores. Thursday morning on tour are the best greens of the week. I’m glad I took advantage of it.”
Love would become the oldest winner in PGA Tour history if he prevails at the Old White TPC.
Lee outplayed fan favorites Phil Mickelson (-3) and Bubba Watson (-1) in what he termed “a very crowded round.” The Korean-born New Zealander, aiming to become the Greenbrier’s first repeat winner, stayed within himself while flanked by the free swingers.
“They hit it long and they don’t like to hit it straight, which is a little different than my game,” Lee said. “I don’t have that 320 carry in my body, so I just try to hit 295 straight and make it happen from there.”