Maybe seven feet separated Beau Hossler from becoming the year’s third Mr. 59. However, he took the lead after shooting a 10-under 60 in the first phase of the Wyndham Championship. He went from ranking 87th in the FedExCup Playoffs and Eligibility Points List to a projected 51st place, well within the top 70 players who would move on to the FedEx St. Jude Championship for the Playoffs.
At the first hole, the Texas alumnus set the tone for the day with a 48-foot birdie putt. Playing from favored lies, he birdied holes 2-4 before putting his second shot to 2 feet on the par-5 fifth to start 6-under with 5 holes. Tropical Storm Debby’s wind and rain caused the opening round to be postponed until Friday.
Hossler put his approach shot into the greenside bunker, leaving him needing a final-hole birdie to join Cameron Young (Travelers Championship) and Hayden Springer (John Deere Classic) as players to reach 60 this year. He made the putt for a par after splashing out to 7 feet.
“You’ve done well here if you can score a 4 on 18. I knew that getting it in the fairway was my only opportunity to score birdie. There was just no way I could get it on that shelf to take a closer look once I was in the left rough.”Hossler said , reminiscing on his closing stretch.
For Hossler to have a chance of making it to Memphis for the FedEx St. Jude, he has to finish alone third or better. Particularly in the middle of a season and on a path characterized by irregularities, his first round performance was just what he needed to begin his campaign.
Hossler began the year with three top-25 finishes and six starts without missing a cut, but he is still chasing his first TOUR victory. However, the 29-year-old has missed 8 cuts in 15 appearances since THE PLAYERS Championship in March, including both of his outings before to the Wyndham Championship.
Hossler has made three errors in four outings at Sedgefield Country Club, including a T65. ”I came here simply trying to play as best as I could and see what I got since this course hasn’t treated me very well in the past.”Hossler said after the round.
What switch did he flick in Strokes Gained: Approach, then, to seize the lead and lead the field by four strokes ?
“I’ve shifted back to the iron shafts I was using a few years ago, I would say, within the past month. Additionally, there’s much less curve on the ball and a somewhat more steady feel to the bottom, suggesting that my iron play has improved. I’ve been adding some keys to my swings.”Hossler said.
Or maybe it was the day off that the heavy rains on Thursday demanded.
“I didn’t really do much yesterday. I sat inside, had some coffee, and watched “Game of Thrones” for a while. My physiotherapist prepared chicken parmesan for our guests while they were around at the house. I suppose I’m not very good at taking days off, but you kind of have to when it’s required. Perhaps I should do it more frequently.”Hossler said.
Actually, on Thursday, Hossler’s WHOOP only registered four minutes of stress.
“It felt like I was driving through a hurricane to get to the coffee shop.”he said jokingly.
Hossler should be prepared for a little more than four minutes of tension with three rounds remaining.
