NEW YORK (AFP) – Troy Merritt matched the Liberty National course record with a nine-under par 62 Thursday to grab a one-stroke lead after Thursday’s opening round of the US PGA Northern Trust tournament.
On a day when Masters champion Tiger Woods struggled to a 75 and shared 116th among 120 starters, it was 33-year-old American Merritt who stole the show with a bogey-free day.
World number two Dustin Johnson was one stroke back with Kevin Kisner and Spain’s Jon Rahm sharing third on 64. Third-ranked Rory McIlroy, world number four Justin Rose, Webb Simpson and Tony Finau were on 65.
Merritt equaled the record at the Jersey City, New Jersey, layout set by compatriot Kevin Chappell in the third round of the 2013 Northern Trust.
He also boosted his chances of moving on in the US PGA playoffs, with only the top 70 in season points advancing from this playoff opener to next week’s second event at Medinah, where only the top 30 in season points will qualify for the season-ending Tour Championship in Atlanta in two weeks.
Merritt entered this week 72nd in points, two outside the field to move on, but as the only player outside the top 30 among the eight leaders, he will leap to fourth in points if he can win the title.
For fifth-ranked Woods, meanwhile, it was a day of misery battling back stiffness in only his fifth start since winning the Masters in April.
The 43-year-old, twice a runner-up at Liberty National, had three birdies, five bogeys and a double bogey after a morning start.
Woods, a 15-time major champion whose 81 career PGA titles are one shy of Sam Snead’s all-time record, admitted his frustration, saying his back was a bit stiff and his game was not quite right.
Woods, who won last year’s Tour Championship, ranks 28th in season points, but is likely to miss the cut Friday and fall out of the top 30.
That means he will go to next week’s BMW Championship at Medinah needing to overtake rivals merely to earn a chance at defending his title in the season finale at East Lake.