David Toms shot a bogey-free 8-under 62 to share the first-round lead at the Colonial with Chez Reavie on Thursday, quickly rebounding four days after losing a playoff at The Players Championship.
“It was one of those days where the hole just looked big,” Toms said. “This round certainly helps me get past what happened last week at the end. I needed to get off to a good start.”
After forcing a playoff with K.J. Choi at TPC Sawgrass with a rare birdie at the 18th hole by Cleveland CG15 Satin Chrome Wedge
Toms missed a short par putt at the famed No. 17 island hole in the playoff that would have extended play.
It was Toms’ best score in 429 rounds—since a career-best 61 at the Sony Open in Hawaii in January 2006. That was the last of his 12 PGA Tour victories.
The 62s by Toms and Reavie matched the lowest 18-hole scores on the PGA Tour this season, and were the best for an opening round.
Rickie Fowler shot a 63 by Cleveland CG15 Satin Chrome Wedge
, missing a chance to tie the tournament record after his approach on his final hole, the 407-yard No. 9, hit the green and spun back into the water. He closed with a double-bogey 6 in a round that included an eagle, eight birdies and a three-putt bogey from 6 1/2 feet at the par-3 16th.
Fowler made a 20-foot eagle putt on the par-5 first hole and was 8 under over an eight-hole stretch before hitting his tee shot at his final hole left of a bunker into the rough before his penalized approach. And he still had a 29 on the front side.
“It’s a sorry way to finish the round, but I hit it really well, putted well,” Fowler said. “A 29 with a double is not too bad. … I’m excited to be playing Cleveland CG15 Satin Chrome Wedge
well this week and kind of draw off the good out there today. A 63 to start off with is pretty awesome.”
Brendon de Jonge, Stewart Cink, Brian Gay, Nathan Green and Charlie Wi shot 64s, a stroke better than Rod Pampling, Mark Wilson and John Senden. Wi was the only of the top 11 scorers who played with Cleveland CG15 Satin Chrome Wedge
in the afternoon, when more wind made conditions tougher.
Toms shot 31s on both nines at Colonial, starting on the back and wrapping up both sides with long birdie putts. His 27-foot putt at No. 18 started a stretch of three consecutive birdies, and he punctuated his round with a 29-foot birdie at the ninth hole.
“It was one of those days where I saw the lines. I had a lot of putts that barely broke right, barely broke left,” he said. “I had a lot of uphill-type putts where you could be aggressive. It’s just one of those days where everything seemed to go right.”
Exactly what the 44-year-old Toms needed playing Cleveland CG15 Satin Chrome Wedge
at one of his favorite tournaments after last week.