Chesson Hadley posted a bogey-free, 8-under-par 64 to establish the first-round lead at the Sanderson Farms Championship on Thursday in Jackson, Miss.
Hadley is just ahead of Brandon Wu and Sweden’s Henrik Norlander, tied for second after shooting 7-under 65 at the Country Club of Jackson.
A large group tied at 6-under 66 includes Christiaan Bezuidenhout of South Africa, Russell Knox of Scotland, Carl Yuan of China, 21-year-old PGA Tour winner Akshay Bhatia, Luke List, Peter Malnati and Matt NeSmith.
Hadley piled up eight birdies, four on each nine. That included two runs of three straight birdies at Nos. 12-14 and 3-5 after starting his round at the 10th hole.
“I’m feeling dangerous right now,” Hadley said. “I feel like some of the hard work and some of the shot shape change that I’ve done has paid off, and my game feels good. Just need to keep it going. The gas is on the right.”
The good vibes are flowing even though Hadley had a three-putt par early in his round.
“I missed like a 2-footer on my second hole for birdie,” he said. “I hit a great approach shot in there and lipped out for eagle, and I went to tap it in and it horseshoed on me, and that can kind of unsettle you a little bit, but I was poised and ready, and I birdied the next hole, and I was dialed in after that.”
Hadley could shoot up from No. 122 in the FedEx Cup Fall standings to No. 63 with a victory. Players are trying to finish the FedEx Cup Fall series in the top 125 in order to retain full PGA Tour status for the 2024 season.
“I’d love to go ahead and knock it out this week, right? Let’s just do it,” Hadley said. “Certainly a win takes care of all that, too, but we’re a long way from that, so I don’t want to start talking about that.”
Hadley, 36, earned his only win on tour at the 2014 Puerto Rico Open.
The early lead belonged to Norlander before Hadley’s round one-upped him. Norlander had a 5-under stretch over four holes, as he followed three birdies with a hole-out eagle at Nos. 11-14.
Norlander’s eagle came from the left rough at the par-5 14th.
“It’s easy to say, but the last two years I haven’t played great golf, and why I haven’t really been in the right head space,” Norlander said. “You put a lot of pressure on yourself. My attitude was good today, but I felt very calm. I didn’t get too up. When I started getting on a run, I tried to hit the only shot that matters is the next one.”
Bhatia is in the mix after compiling seven birdies and just one bogey in his first round. Bhatia made his professional debut as a 17-year-old at the 2019 Sanderson Farms; earlier this year, he won an alternate event, the Barracuda Championship, to secure his PGA Tour card.
“It’s been a crazy formation of my golf career, starting here four years ago to where I am now,” Bhatia said. “A lot can change. It’s nice to come here as a full member and earn my spot and always be able to play in this tournament.”
Sweden’s Ludvig Aberg, the only participant in last week’s Ryder Cup playing the Sanderson Farms, is three shots off the pace after posting a 5-under 67. The rookie was favored this week to bring home his first PGA Tour win.
Defending champion Mackenzie Hughes of Canada opened with a 2-under 70.
–Field Level Media
