Matt Jones shares lead after the first round of Puerto Rico Open – Golf News
Matt Jones surged to the top of the leaderboard at the Puerto Rico Open, underway at the Trump International Golf Course, Puerto Rico, on Thursday, March 8, 2012.
While is looking for the first ever professional victory of his career, he recorded a spectacular opening round score of six-under par 66.
Jones shared his lead with the American George McNeill, who was flawless on the course, carding six birdies in total in a bogey-free round.
McNeill, whose only win of the career came in the 2007 Frys.com Open, said that the course behaved just like the ones available back in Florida.
Therefore, he was really comfortable in making good shots while avoiding the bogeys throughout the round.
"It's just like Florida, so it felt comfortable, and I happened to play well," McNeill said.
He added, "Obviously, I hit it pretty well and putted pretty well, and the few greens that I missed, I chipped then close and had tap-ins and everything else, so I avoided the mistakes".
Jones, on the other hand, had a total of five birdies, an eagle and a bogey as constituents of his first round score.
With the help of an eagle on the par-five second and a birdie on the ninth, he was standing at three-under par after the front nine.
The back nine saw him scoring the same but with different shots that included four birdies and a bogey on the par-four 12th.
According to Jones, the weather conditions on the course were really difficult, as the wind was blowing and players had to calculate their shots very accurately.
Yet he succeeded in displaying a good game and played some superb shots on the course. "It was very windy. Just had to judge it right," Jones said.
"I had unbelievable ball-striking. I think I was pin high every hole except 17, when I wanted to be a bit short of it, then I made good putts, had a good eagle to get started and had a great day".
Ben Curtis from the United States stood third with the help of a bogey-free five-under par 67.
Jeff Overton, Kevin Kisner, Todd Hamilton and Daniel Summerhays were a further stroke back to tie for the fourth place.
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