Palmer Leads Opening Round At Byron Nelson

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Dallas resident Ryan Palmer took advantage of home cooking this week with a bogey-free, 6-under 64. He leads by one over Marc Leishman and Alex Cejka. His last bogey-free round also came in his home state of Texas; round three of the Shell Houston Open.  Palmer returns to the HP Byron Nelson Championship having lost on the first hole of a playoff to Keegan Bradley in last year’s event.  Palmer is making his 13th start of the season this week. His lone top-10 finish came three weeks ago at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, a T4. Palmer is coming off a missed cut at last week’s PLAYERS Championship.  A three-time winner on the PGA TOUR, Palmer is in search of his first TOUR title since the 2010 Sony Open in Hawaii.  Palmer is making his ninth consecutive start at the HP Byron Nelson Championship, dating to 2004. Previous to last year’s runner-up finish, his only other made cut at TPC Four Seasons Resort was a T73 in 2006.

Palmer struggled off the tee in round one, hitting just 6 of 14 fairways. He hit 13 of 18 greens in regulation and needed 26 putts.

First-round leaders have not fared well at the HP Byron Nelson Championship over the previous 58 playings of the tournament. Only seven players (eight times) have carried the opening-day lead on to victory, including Jason Day (2010), Scott Simpson (1993), Tom Watson (1979-80), Mark

Hayes (1976), Chi Chi Rodriguez (1972), Earl Stewart (1961) and Don January (1956).

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Only two players have won the tournament in wire-to-wire fashion – Mark Hayes in 1976 and Tom Watson in 1980. (Note: Complete first-round scores are not available for the inaugural event in 1944, which was won by Byron Nelson).

Marc Leishman posted a 5-under 65, highlighted by a pair of back-nine eagles. At the par-4 11th, he chipped in for

a two from 45 feet following a 289-yard drive. Five holes later at the par-5 16th, he laced a 2-iron from 245 yards to within seven feet and made the putt for three.

Leishman is making his 12th start of the season this week and remains in search of his first top-10 finish. His best through 11 events is a T17 at the Northern Trust Open. He sits No. 114 in the FedExCup standings.

The 2009 PGA TOUR Rookie of the Year is making his fourth consecutive start at TPC Four Seasons Resort, with his best finish being a T8 in his first start of 2009. Despite benign wind conditions, Leishman hit 11 of 14 fairways, but managed just 10 of 18 greens in regulation. He needed 24 putts to complete his round.

Making his ninth HP Byron Nelson Championship start, Alex Cejka birdied four of his last five holes en route to a bogey-free, 5-under 65. He trails Ryan Palmer by a stroke. Cejka’s best finish in the event is a T16 in 2010. He withdrew before last year’s second round with an injury. Cejka is making just his fifth start of the 2012 season. After missed cuts at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am and Transitions Championship, he withdrew from the RBC Heritage. In Cejka’s fourth start of the season, he finished T18 at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans.

Making his first PGA TOUR start of the season, Andres Gonzales birdied five of his first nine holes and two of his last three for a 4-under 66. He will begin the second round two strokes off Ryan Palmer’s lead.

Defending champion Keegan Bradley opened with a 3-under 67. He is seeking to become the first repeat winner of the HP Byron Nelson Championship since Tom Watson won three in a row from 1978-80.

A year ago, after entering the final round trailing Ryan Palmer by four strokes, Bradley carded a 2-under 68 to finish regulation tied with Palmer at 3-under 277. He then two-putted for par from 54′ 6″ to defeat Palmer on the first hole of a playoff to win the 2011 HP Byron Nelson Championship, winning his first-career playoff and becoming the first rookie winner of the event.

In 2011, Bradley became the second consecutive player to win the event in his first start (Jason Day-2010) and the event’s first-ever rookie winner.

Eight former HP Byron Nelson Championship winners are competing this week: Keegan Bradley (67), Vijay Singh (68), Jason Day (68), Phil Mickelson (70) and Ernie Els (70), Adam Scott (73), Brett Wetterich (73) and Rory Sabbatini (75).

Phil Mickelson is making his 14th start at the HP Byron Nelson Championship and first since a T3 finish in 2007. His win in 1996 is one of four top-10 finishes at the event (1-1996, T6-1998, T2-2000, T3-2007). He carded an openinground, even-par 70.

 

See our HP Byron Nelson Championship photo gallery

 

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