Camilo Villegas of Colombia carded an 8-under-par 63 to take a three-stroke lead over Bubba Watson, Chez Reavie and Luke List after the first round of the Northern Trust Open at Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades.
The 34-year-old Villegas, who played college golf at Florida, took advantage of the soft conditions at Riviera after an overnight rain by making five birdies in the first 10 holes after starting on the 10th hole.
Then he made four more in a row through No. 8, but finished with his only bogey, missing a four-foot par putt on the ninth hole.
“You don’t shoot 8-under (at Riviera) unless you play really well,” said Villegas, who has won four times on the PGA Tour. “I got off to a good start and then late in the day I made some putts that you don’t expect to.
“I hit some good shots and it was nice to see some putts go in the hole. … Obviously a little mishap on the last hole, but was a good day out there, fun.”
Reavie, who led with a 63 after round one last week at Pebble Beach, birdied two of his last three holes in a 66, Watson made five birdies in a span of eight holes at one stage and List played bogey-free to earn his share of second.
Third-ranked Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland, playing Riviera for the first time, posted a 67 and was tied for fifth with Ricky Barnes of Stockton, Charles Howell III, Shawn Stefani, Justin Leonard, Ben Crane, and amateur Charlie Danielson, who plays college golf at Illinois.
Shockingly, top-ranked Jordan Spieth recorded the worst opening round of his pro career, a 79, making only two birdies and finishing his day with a double-bogey 6 on the 18th hole.
“It was just one of those days to forget,” said Spieth, who was tied for next-to-last in the field of 144 players. “I’ve shot 80 twice in my career, so I guess it’s gonna happen a few times over the course of a career.
“It’s amazing because I feel really good about where my game is. I’m not going to pack it in, by any means. I’ll come back tomorrow and I feel I could shoot 10-under.”
Spieth’s worst score as a pro was an 82 in the third round of the 2013 Memorial.
