PUERTO VALLARTA, Mexico (AP) — Austin Smotherman already has his name on the Mexico Open trophy. He finished the first round Thursday wanting to see it again, closing with four straight birdies for an 8-under 63 and a one-stroke lead over Erik van Rooyen and Argentina’s Tano Goya.
Masters champion Jon Rahm, who won the tournament at Vidanta for his only PGA title last year, birdied five of his last 11 holes to overcome a poor start to finish with 67 shots.
Smotherman has not won on the PGA tour. He won the Mexico Open in 2018, in a different field, since that year the tournament was held in Tijuana and was part of the PGA Latin American tour calendar.
Either way, the tournament traces its origins back to 1944. His name is inscribed on the trophy along with those of Ben Crenshaw, Billy Casper, Lee Treviño, Bobby Locke and Roberto De Vicenzo.
“I still get goosebumps when I think about it,” he admitted. “Just the way I was received, winning an event like this, the Mexico Open, which has so much history. There are names on that trophy that are in the Hall of Fame.”
“A national open, anywhere, is very special.”
Smotherman finished bogeyless at Vidanta Vallarta. He just missed three greens on a beautiful morning. The last time he went on his final hole, the par-3 ninth flag, and still got his eighth birdie of the day.
Van Rooyen also had a great finish, going 4 under on his last five holes. That included an eagle at par-4 15, where he holed out from 141 yards out. He also had a pair of birdies on the par 5s in the second half of his round.
2023-04-28 03:29:54
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