Pierceson Coody shot an 11-under 61, the lowest score of his brief PGA Tour career, and took the lead into the first round of the ISCO Championship on Thursday.
Coody had 11 birdies in a bogey-free morning at the Keene Terrace Golf Club Championship, with six straight birdies starting at the fifth hole, including the last of his 20 putts to five feet for birdie on the par-4 18th.
“I've been playing really well all season,” said Coody, the 24-year-old grandson of 1971 Masters champion Charles Coody.
“If you keep the tempo of your play and keep the ball in front of you, it's like a core move and you have a lot of wedges, you're going to end up with a lot of opportunities for birdies. I saw a lot of putts go in that day.”
Hayden Springer shot 64 to finish three shots behind Filipino Rico Hoey in the tournament co-sanctioned by the DP World Tour.
Springer made nine birdies and one bogey in his afternoon session, finishing with a birdie on the 18th hole. The tour rookie opened with a 59 and tied for seventh at the John Deere Classic in Illinois last week.
“I hit a lot of balls and putted a lot of balls.”
Hoy made eagle on the par-5 eighth hole and had six birdies in a bogey-free morning.
“I knew the scores were going to be low today so I wanted to go out there and start working hard, which I did,” Hoy said. “The weather was really nice. Not too windy, a little bit gusty, but it was calm out there.”
Alexander Knappe shot two eagles on the front nine for a 65. Lanto Griffin also had a 65, along with Andy Sullivan, Justin Suh, Andrea Pavan, Andrew Wilson, Francesco Laporta, Angel Hidalgo Portillo and Ryan McCormick.
Florida State sophomore Luke Clanton tied for second in the John Deere Classic but bogeyed his final two holes in the afternoon for a 70. He is the first amateur since Billy Joe Patton in 1958 to finish in the top 10 in consecutive PGA Tour-sanctioned events.
Coody is winless in 26 starts on the PGA Tour. At John Deere, the Texan shot 64 to tie for 30th.
“It was a big step in the right direction at John Deere on Sunday,” Coodie said. “It’s clearly continuing to move in the right direction.”