Scott Harrington was a rookie on the PGA Tour last season on the PGA Tour at the age of 39 and is proving that he belongs.
Harrington (pictured) posted a 7-under-par 65 in the first round of the Corales Puntacana Resort & Spa Championship to tie Tyler McCumber, Hudson Swafford and Sepp Straka of Austria for the lead on the Corales Course in La Altagracias, Dominican Republic.
“I knew coming here, I know my history here, I was looking forward to this week,” said Harrington, who shot 62 at Puntacana in a 2016 Korn Ferry Tour event while tying for 28th. “I’m really happy to get off to a good start.”
Harrington, who tied for second in the Houston Open last season, had an eagle on the fourth hole and four birdies as he finished his 65 on the front nine, while Straka also had an eagle at No. 14 and made four birdies on the back nine in his bogey-free round.
Swafford collected five of his eight birdies on the back nine, while McCumber also made an eagle on the fourth hole while finishing on the front and held a one-stroke lead before driving into a bunker, hitting his next shot into the weeds and making a bogey at No. 8.
“I was hitting the ball well all day,” said Straka, whose only pro victory came in the KC Golf Classic on the Korn Ferry Tour. “The couple times I missed the green, I got up and down, chipped in once, so really just kind of everything was falling into place today.
“The eagle, hit a pretty good drive in the fairway and had a good number for a 5-wood in there. Hit it to about five feet and made the putt.”
Said McCumber: “It does have good energy here. This was my first PGA Tour event in 2018 and I played pretty well in it then (with a tie for 19th), so I definitely have good memories here.”
Joseph Bramlett of Saratoga and Stanford birdied four of the first eight holes while carding a bogey-free 66 and is tied for fifth with Xinjun Zhang of China, who birdied his last three holes while finishing on the front nine.
Ricky Barnes of Stockton birdied three of his last seven holes in a 67 and is in a big tie for seventh with Jamie Lovemark of Rancho Santa Fe and USC, Justin Suh of San Jose and USC, Patrick Rodgers of Stanford, David Hearn of Canada, Kyle Stanley, Cameron Percy of Australia, Sean O’Hair, Brian Stuard and Ryan Brehm.
Defending champion Graeme McDowell of Northern Ireland, who won the 2010 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach, shot 70 and is in a tie for 46th that includes Henrik Stenson of Sweden, who won the 2016 Open Championship at Royal Troon.
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