Joseph Bramlett, who has four top-10 finishes on the PGA Tour but has never won an event, shot a five-under-par round of 65 in the opening round along with Billy Horschel; early coverage continues Friday from 1.30pm on Sky Sports Golf ahead of full coverage from 7pm
Friday 24 February 2023 08:04, UK
English pair Ben Taylor and Matt Wallace find themselves just two shots off joint-leaders Billy Horschel and Joseph Bramlett after the opening round of the Honda Classic at PGA National.
Bramlett, who has four top-10 finishes on the PGA Tour, shot a five-under-par round of 65 to tie with Horschel for the first-round lead in Florida.
One shot back at four under and in a tie for second are Pierceson Coody - a sponsor exemption playing his first PGA Tour event as a professional - and Justin Suh. Coody has two wins in 15 starts on the Korn Ferry Tour since turning pro in June.
Play was suspended for darkness just past 6pm and four groups were unable to finish. Carson Young was one of those, also positioned at four under with three holes left to play.
As many as eight players are grouped together on three under, two off the leaders, including English pair Taylor and Wallace.
Leading the pack, the 34-year-old Bramlett enjoyed a bogey-free round, while Horschel had six birdies and one bogey, and scrambled nicely when he had to after missing six of 14 fairways and hitting 13 of 18 greens.
"I definitely like when the conditions are difficult and guys have to really earn it," Bramlett, who has never won on the PGA Tour, said. "I think that's historically always been in my favour."
Horschel has never won a PGA Tour event in his home state of Florida and his pre-Honda preparations included a trip to the doctor, finally giving in and getting a prescription after trying to fight off a sinus infection for a few days.
The 65 was his best score in 33 rounds as a pro at PGA National, having shot 66 on two previous occasions.
"It's no secret out here that I work really, really hard out here," Horschel said. "But this week with just the way I'm feeling and everything, energy's still not completely 100 per cent every day.
"I just played really solid, didn't do anything special, hit some quality iron shots here and there - I wouldn't say everything was sort of automatic and it was easy.
"I had to just sort of work my way into making some good swings here and there. But overall, it was a really solid day of golf."
Coody, who has two wins in 15 starts on the Korn Ferry Tour since turning pro in June and is the grandson of 1971 Masters champion Charles Coody, said after his impressive opening round: "It really just feels like another professional event.
"I've only played (15) professional events. But other than the big grandstands it's not that different. You're just playing golf, you're trying to put a good score together. No real nerves out there. Just happy to play well."
Suh, tied with Coody on four under, missed a 10-foot birdie putt on his last hole which would have seen him go one better and join Horschel and Bramlett in a tie for the lead.
Watch the Honda Classic throughout the week live on Sky Sports. Live coverage continues Friday with early coverage from 1.30pm on Sky Sports Golf, ahead of full coverage from 7pm.
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