Charlotte.- With a dream round end, the Venezuelan Jhonattan Vegas seized Thursday of the leadership at the start of the championship of the championship of the PGA With two strokes on your escorts.
Vegas, 40, is the first Venezuelan in leading the classification of a Grand Slam tournament in history.
“He feels incredible,” Maturín player acknowledged. “It is what we dream of, for what we train, for what we work every day.”
Vegas completed the first of the four rounds in Charlotte (North Carolina, United States) with a fabulous 64 -stroke card, seven under par, which gives him an advantage of two impacts on the American Ryan Gerard and the Australian Cam Davis.
Three blows was a squad with other very unusual players at this point, such as the American Alex Smalley, the German Stephan Jaeger, the New Zealand Ryan Fox and the English Luke Donald and Aaron Rei.
Vegas perched on the top with a thrilling closure on the back, in which he chained five birdies in the last six holes. The last one signed it with an amazing 8.2 meter putt.
The best round of Vegas in a Grand Slam were 67 blows and never concluded among the top 20 of a large tournament.
“I have been working to prioritize and play well in the ‘Majors,” said the Venezuelan, winner of four PGA tournaments in his career.
“Aging, being wiser, not putting so much pressure on myself. That is the approach I have been taking and worked today,” he said. “The game is there. We just have to repeat what we did today.”
The South American exhibition was the culmination of a surprising first round in the Quail Hollow field, where the favorite to the best title located in the classification, Scottie Scheffler, ended in 20th place.
The Colombian Nico Echavarría and Puerto Rican Rafael Campos also shone like never before in a great stage at the end of both in the ninth place shared with a 68-stroke card (-3), four from the head.
Mcilroy disappoints
Scheffler, the world number one, was the candidate for the title that came out the best stop of this fierce start when completing the tour in 69 blows (-2).
The American criticized the rules of the tournament that prevent players from cleaning the balls that fall on Calle del Campo, soaked by rain.
“I did not feel that I would hit the best possible,” he acknowledged. “Sometimes there was mud in the ball, which was a challenge. I did a good job keeping my head cold and getting a good result.”
Scheffler joined a luxury group with his compatriot Xander Schauffele, defender of the title, and Norirendés Rory Mcilroy, champion last month of Augusta Masters.
With all the reflectors on top, Mcilroy starred in a mediocre first round of 74 blows (+3) that left him in 98th position.
A month ago, the former world number one had conquered the only one of the four Grand Slam titles that lacked the green jacket of the masters.
He was outlined as the rival to beat this week in Quail Hollow, where he also has a history of four tournaments won in his career.
