Nate Lashley stayed home in Arizona last week, so he was unable to take a spot on the Travelers Championship when it became available, but this week is different.
The 36-year-old Lashley got into the field for the inaugural Rocket Mortgage Classic as a late alternate and shot a bogey-free 9-under-par 63 to grab a one-stoke lead over Ryan Armour and Nick Watney at Detroit Golf Club http://www.detroitgolfclub.org.
“When you (are an) alternate, it’s not a whole lot of fun, that feeling of only missing an event by one person,” who has 10 pro victories, but none on the PGA Tour. “ … There’s a long way to go, but hopefully I can go out there and play like today, play relaxed golf and have some fun.
“Just get up, take it one shot at a time, just the same, old thing that everybody says. It’s just no easy to do. I got it under the hole on most holes and had a lot of uphill putts with not a lot of break.”
Lashley birdied four holes on the front nine and then capped his round with five more on the last six holes.
Armour birdied five of his first seven holes to kick-start a bogey-free 64, which was matched by Watney, from Davis and Fresno State, who birdied seven of his last 11 holes.
Chez Reavie, who won the Travelers last week for his first PGA Tour victory in nearly 11 years, sank a 21-foot eagle putt from the fringe on the 17th hole while shooting 65 and is tied for fourth with Charles Howell III, Talor Gooch, Rory Sabbatini of Slovakia, Adam Schenk, Chase Wright and Stewart Cink, who chipped in for eagle at No. 12.
Rickie Fowler of Murrieta holed out from 122 yards for an eagle at No. 17 en route to a 68 and is in a tie for 33rd that includes Bubba Watson, second-ranked Dustin Johnson is tied for 101st after a 71 and Gary Woodland, coming off his victory in the U.S. Open two weeks ago, struggled to a 73 and is tied for 131st.
For complete results, visit https://www.pgatour.com/leaderboard.html
