Using a 5-under par 29 on his front 9, Matt Kuchar shot 5-under in his opening round of The Open Championship to join Jordan Spieth and Brooks Koepka as clubhouse leaders.
The Georgia Tech product made five birdies in his first nine holes on the way to a first-round 65. He had multiple opportunities on the back 9 to be the first to reach 6-under, but he couldn’t get one to fall. He parred his final nine holes.
Kuchar, like many others in the field, struggled to hit fairways on Thursday, but he hit 12 greens and scrambled for par when needed on the way in. He got up-and-down from deep behind the green on 18 to secure a spot at the top of the leaderboard late into the first round.
Kuchar’s 65 is the best of his career in a major championship.
This year’s Open Championship is Kuchar’s 13th. He missed six of his first seven cuts, but he’s made the last five -- including two top 15’s.
His tee time on Friday for the second round is at 3:36 a.m. ET. Rain and strong winds are expected, which could potentially benefit Kuchar and his lower ball flight.
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