Justin Lower fired a career-low 9-under, bogey-free 63 to take a two-hot lead at the Fortinet Championship.
“I’ll take it. I birdied half the holes, so that’s always a good start, I guess. I’m honestly just happy to be in the position I am having I guess full status for once. I actually get to play events I wanted to play this fall. Last fall I only got three starts, so looking to get off to a better start this fall for sure,” said the American.
“I left this course last year kind of in shock, honestly. I was like, God, if this is how the Tour is, I need to get a lot better very quickly.
“Yeah, I feel a lot more confident than I did at this point last year just being the last card last year and then being where I am this year, I feel a lot more confident with my game and a lot more comfortable, for sure.”
Max Homa, who finished just before play was suspended due to darkness, fired a bogey-free 65 to take second place at 7-under.
Fellow American J.J. Spaun carded a bogey-free 66 for a share of third place at 6-under alongside South Koreans Byeong Hun An and S.H. Kim.
American Rickie Fowler started his 15th professional season with new clubs, coach and caddie and closed with a bogey-free 67 for a share of sixth place at 5-under.
“I always like it when there’s a bogey-free round in there,” said Fowler. “For the most part, there wasn’t an issue today other than having to make a 15-footer when I hit it into the bunker. Other than that, it was a fairly simple day.”
Play was suspended for 90 minutes in the morning due to fog and as a result 35 players were still on the course when darkness halted play and will resume their rounds Friday at 7:20 a.m.
