At 7-under thru 16 holes, Sahith Theegala holds a one-stroke lead over clubhouse leader K.H. Lee at the WM Phoenix Open. He will return on Friday with a 16’ 1” par putt on the par-4 eighth hole.
He could become the first player to win on PGA Tour competing as a Sponsor Exemption since Martin Laird at the 2020 Shriners Children’s Open.
With four birdies on No. 13-16, he tied the best birdie streak of his career at the 2021 Barbasol Championship (R4/Nos. 6-9).
The moment @SRTheegala was surprised with a sponsor’s exemption to @WMPhoenixOpen.
He’s now the solo leader thru 13 holes. pic.twitter.com/eHhcijOShY
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) February 11, 2022
Should his lead hold up, it will mark the second first-round lead/co-lead of his career (2021 Sanderson Farms Championship/T8).
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He is in search of his second top-10 finish in his 24th career start (2021 Sanderson Farms Championship/T8).
The last player to win in his debut appearance at the WM Phoenix Open (Brooks Koepka/2015).
The top three players on the final leaderboard from 2021 are currently T7 or better during the first round: Brooks Koepka (1st in 2021/currently T3), K.H. Lee (T2/2nd), Xander Schauffele (T2/T7).
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K.H. Lee (2nd) holds the clubhouse lead following a 6-under 65, highlighted by a birdie-eagle-birdie stretch on Nos. 2-4; in search of his first top-10 finish since the 2021 3M Open (T6) and second PGA Tour title (2021 AT&T Byron Nelson).
Defending champion Brooks Koepka (T3) opened with a 5-under 66 and holds the longest-active streak of rounds of 66 or better (four) at the WM Phoenix Open; one of just four players with a streak of four or more rounds of 66 or better at TPC Scottsdale (Ryan Moore, Mike Weir, Brandt Snedeker).
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World No. 1 and Arizona State graduate Jon Rahm (T7) opened with a bogey-free 4-under 67, highlighted by a 25’ 4” birdie on the last hole (No. 18); best finish in six previous starts at TPC Scottsdale is T5 in his first start in 2015 (has never finished worse than T16); has posted an under-par score in 24 of 25 rounds at TPC Scottsdale (2018/72/R4).
Finishing birdie. Bogey-free 4-under.@JonRahmPGA loves it 💥 pic.twitter.com/WnotmrRpO0
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) February 11, 2022
Tom Hoge (T32), winner of last week’s AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, posted a 2-under 69 in his fifth WM Phoenix Open start.
PGA Tour
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