WGC – Workday Championship R1

February 25-28
The Concession Golf Club, Bradenton, Florida
$10,500,000
Round 2, Round 3, Round 4

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Matthew Fitzpatrick shot a bogey-free 6-under 66 to take the lead in the opening round of the WGC-Workday Championship at the Concession.

Webb Simpson joined Fitzpatrick in the lead after a run of birdies on his last three holes.

“Very pleased with the start,” said Simpson. “I worked on a couple things last week with putting alignment and with my driver and I saw good things from that today. You always want to see it first round back, but it doesn’t always happen that way, so I was happy to see like tough tee shots with trouble, really stepping up and making good swings.

“And made a lot of putts today, so that was a good feeling.”

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Behind them at 5-under are Brooks Koepka, Billy Horschel, Sergio Garcia and Kevin Kisner, the latter playing his first event since the Sony Open following the birth of his third child.

The course is hosting a PGA Tour event for the first time as the WGC was moved to Florida from Mexico City because of the pandemic.

Koepka, who only arrived in Florida on Wednesday and could only play a nine-hole pro-am round, was playing the back nine for the first time but hit 13 greens and ranked 18th in strokes gained: tee to green.

“I mean, Ricky [his caddy Ricky Elliott] walked it. I get a yardage book. It’s not too difficult. I don’t think anything of it,” said Koepka. “It is what it is. You’ve got to look up on the tee, you know on 10 water’s right, there’s bunkers on the left, so put it in the fairway.”

He was pleased with his game and his new clubs.

“I love these new irons. The flight on them, it’s a little higher, and I’m just striking the ball so well, so I expect to be there on Sunday.”

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Tony Finau, who lost the playoff to Max Homa at Riviera last week, was one shot back in seventh place alongside five other playing includind defending champion Patrick Reed.

Rory McIlroy shot three bogeys and six birdies for a 69 and lies in thirteenth place with five others.

“I think with any new course it’s just a matter of getting comfortable with visuals and lines off tees, and then I think we’re all sort of learning the golf course a little bit as we go along,” said McIlroy. “Most Tour events we go to, we basically know where the four pin positions are going to be and we can practice to those.

“I think tee-to-green it’s pretty simple,” he said. “But then around the greens, I think it’s one of these places, the more you play it, the more you’ll just feel comfortable with it.”

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World Number 1 Dustin Johnson had a hard time on Thursday and shot two birdies, three bogeys and two double-bogeys at the par-4 5th and 18th. He lies T64 at 5-over par.

Bryson DeChambeau was likewise in trouble, after starting his round with a bogey he produced four birdies, five more bogeys and a double-bogey at the 16th after finding the water with his tee shot.

Patrick Cantlay, current FedEx Cup leader and World No.7, had to withdraw before starting his round because of an upset stomach and dehydration.

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Pos.	Player	To Par	R1
T1	Matthew Fitzpatrick	-6	66
T1	Webb Simpson	-6	66
T3	Sergio Garcia	-5	67
T3	Billy Horschel	-5	67
T3	Kevin Kisner	-5	67
T3	Brooks Koepka	-5	67
T7	Tony Finau	-4	68
T7	Sungjae Im	-4	68
T7	Wade Ormsby	-4	68
T7	Jon Rahm	-4	68
T7	Patrick Reed	-4	68
T7	Cameron Smith	-4	68
T13	Rory McIlroy	-3	69
T13	Sebastián Muñoz	-3	69
T13	Joaquin Niemann	-3	69
T13	Louis Oosthuizen	-3	69
T13	Victor Perez	-3	69
T13	Scottie Scheffler	-3	69
T19	Thomas Detry	-2	70
T19	Lanto Griffin	-2	70
T19	Tyrrell Hatton	-2	70
T19	Jason Kokrak	-2	70
T19	David Lipsky	-2	70
T19	Collin Morikawa	-2	70
T25	Abraham Ancer	-1	71
T25	Christiaan Bezuidenhout	-1	71
T25	Jason Day	-1	71
T25	Viktor Hovland	-1	71
T25	Chan Kim	-1	71
T25	Ryan Palmer	-1	71
T25	Xander Schauffele	-1	71
T25	Brandon Stone	-1	71
T25	Gary Woodland	-1	71
T25	Erik van Rooyen	-1	71
T35	Laurie Canter	E	72
T35	Cameron Champ	E	72
T35	Marc Leishman	E	72
T35	Shane Lowry	E	72
T35	Hideki Matsuyama	E	72
T35	Aaron Rai	E	72
T35	Adam Scott	E	72
T35	Sami Valimaki	E	72
T35	Will Zalatoris	E	72
T44	Daniel Berger	1	73
T44	Max Homa	1	73
T44	Mackenzie Hughes	1	73
T44	Yuki Inamori	1	73
T44	Matt Kuchar	1	73
T44	Kevin Na	1	73
T44	Carlos Ortiz	1	73
T44	Justin Rose	1	73
T44	Justin Thomas	1	73
T53	Rafa Cabrera Bello	2	74
T53	Rasmus Højgaard	2	74
T53	Min Woo Lee	2	74
T53	Robert MacIntyre	2	74
T53	Trevor Simsby	2	74
T53	Brendon Todd	2	74
T53	Lee Westwood	2	74
T60	Tommy Fleetwood	3	75
T60	Jason Scrivener	3	75
T62	Bernd Wiesberger	4	76
T62	Daniel van Tonder	4	76
T64	Bryson DeChambeau	5	77
T64	Lucas Herbert	5	77
T64	Dustin Johnson	5	77
T64	Bubba Watson	5	77
T68	Harris English	6	78
T68	JC Ritchie	6	78
T68	Andy Sullivan	6	78
71	Brad Kennedy	9	81
WD	Matthew Wolff	E