Brandon Hagy, Rahm’s replacement, leads American Express after firing 8-under 64
Brandon Hagy wasn't supposed to play this week. He wasn't in the player field.
However, after 2018 tournament champion, 2021 tournament favorite and World No. 2 Jon Rahm withdrew on Monday, Hagy was given his spot as an alternate.
And boy, is he making the most of it.
The 29-year-old from Santa Monica fired a 8-under 64 on the Nicklaus Tournament Course for a one shot lead after one round in La Quinta.
The former Cal Bear made 10 birdies saying that making putts inside the range of 10-15 feet was the key to his success on Thursday.
As for the rest of the field, 102 of the 156 players shot below par. That's nothing new at this event, known for yielding a lot of low scores given the good conditions.
In fact, over the last 5 years at this event, 24-under par is the average winning score.
Notable first round scores other than Hagy are below. Click here a complete look at the leaderboard after one round.
- Byeong-hun An -7
- Max Homa -6
- Tony Finau -5
- Patrick Reed -4
- Patrick Cantlay -3
- Gary Woodland -2
- Brooks Koepka E
- Rickie Fowler +1
- Phil Mickelson +2
Stay with KESQ News Channel 3 for continuing coverage of the tournament throughout the week.
