SAN ANTONIO — Sam Ryder wasn’t positive his neck would really feel adequate for him to play Thursday within the Valero Texas Open. He discovered a swing and hardly missed a putt on his technique to a 9-under 63 and a one-shot lead over Keith Mitchell within the ultimate match earlier than the Masters.
Ryder one-putted 11 of his final 12 holes — seven of them for birdie, together with the ultimate three. He holed a 25-foot putt on the sixteenth, a 12-footer on the seventeenth after which hit a wedge to a foot on the par-5 closing gap on the TPC San Antonio.
“I used to be simply attempting to get a really feel for a way I might swing,” stated Ryder, who missed Wednesday’s pro-am after feeling a twinge on the base of his neck. “I believe it helped me keep inside myself in the present day. I used to be simply completely happy to be enjoying.”
Mitchell performed bogey-free within the morning for a 64, highlighted by a 3-wood from 286 yards that stopped rolling about 3 toes from the pin for a tap-in eagle on the par-5 eighth.
Former Open Championship winner Brian Harman had a 66.
Among the many group at 67 was Jordan Spieth, whose spherical included a drive on seventeenth that landed on arduous pan with a rock embedded about 4 inches behind his golf ball. He made clear contact and hit it to 12 toes and made the birdie putt.
Ryder, who has made the lower in all 9 of his tournaments this 12 months, stayed in his room and rested all Wednesday due to the neck damage, then confirmed up on the course about three hours earlier than his tee time Thursday to see if he might swing.
He will probably be amongst those that might go straight to the Masters subsequent week if he wins, one thing he has but to do on the PGA Tour.
“I figured something underneath par is all the time often fairly good out right here,” Ryder stated. “Did not go in with any intentions of attempting to be extra aggressive or something like that, was simply attempting to place one foot in entrance of the subsequent and have a strong spherical, hit fairways and as many greens as doable.”
Mitchell is not within the Masters, both, and it has been six years since his lone PGA Tour victory. This was the third time this 12 months Mitchell has opened with 65 or decrease. It is ending it out that has been the issue.
“My sport’s been trending,” Mitchell stated. “I would prefer to put some strong rounds collectively. Hopefully, it is this week. I really feel like my scores have been exhibiting a minimum of within the first couple rounds currently that my sport’s the place it must be, and simply going to attempt to stack ’em all up this week.”
As for that eagle, Mitchell stated it was a mix of a superb swing and success.
“I figured if I hit it good it might a minimum of cowl the entrance after which form of roll out to the bottom of the slope,” Mitchell stated. “That pin is hard even with a wedge, it is powerful from across the inexperienced, so the truth that I acquired the ball to cease up there, I would not name it on accident — it was the place I used to be aiming — however the truth that it simply ended up being there may be very lucky.”
Harman has gone 15 straight tournaments with no high 10 relationship to June, and he has solely two different top-10s since his Open Championship win at Hoylake in 2023. He is on the verge of falling out of the highest 50 on the earth.
“My good days have been adequate to win and my unhealthy days have been not nice,” Harman stated. “You have to discover a manner on these days, and that is often a powerful a part of my sport is gritting it out, determining a technique to get it finished.”
Max Homa, in the meantime, was in peril of lacking one other lower to increase his hunch. He introduced he has parted with caddie Joe Greiner, after leaving his swing coach final fall.
