American rookie Trey Mullinax remained atop the leaderboard after Friday’s conclusion to the opening round of the lightning-halted US PGA Puerto Rico Open.
Five days after marrying his high school sweetheart, Mullinax fired a bogey-free nine-under par 63 Thursday to seize a one-stroke lead over compatriot D.A. Points. Tour rookie Mullinax, who married Abi Essman in his hometown of Birmingham, Alabama, matched the best opening round in tournament history with his lowest PGA round.
Americans Bill Lunde and Xander Schauffele shared third on 65 with eight others another stroke adrift. Lightning halted the first round of the US PGA Tour event with 36 players still on the course who completed their opening round Friday morning.
Three early Friday finishers were level in the pack on 66 for the lowest opening round among those who could not finish Thursday, including Puerto Rico’s Rafael Campos and Americans J.J. Spaun and Jonathan Randolph.
The event offers a chance for lesser lights on the PGA Tour to contend while top-ranked talent plays at Austin, Texas, in the World Golf Championships Match-Play tournament. Mullinax seeks his first PGA crown while Points chases his third after the 2011 Pebble Beach Pro-Am and 2013 Houston Open.
Top scores
63 - Trey Mullinax
64 - D.A. Points
65 - Bill Lunde, Xander Schauffele
66 - David Hearn (CAN), Harold Varner, Ricky Barnes, Kevin Tway, J.T. Poston, Rafael Campos (PUR), J.J. Spaun, Jonathan Randolph
67 - Scott Brown, Zack Sucher, Michael Thompson, John Merrick
68 - Jonas Blixt (SWE), Andre Gonzales, Retief Goosen (RSA), Alex Cejka (GER), Steve Wheatcroft, Ryan Blaum, Boo Weekley, Bryson DeChambeau, Mark Anderson, Tyler Aldridge, Freddie Jacobson (SWE), Edward Figueroa (PUR), Miguel Angel Carballo (ARG)
Trey Mullinax plays his third shot out of the bunker on the ninth hole during the first round of the Puerto Rico Open at Coco Beach in Rio Grande, Puerto Rico. (Getty Images/AFP)
