AT&T Byron Nelson 2016: Thursday Leaderboard Scores and Highlights

At this point, it's easier to list who's not in contention in the first round of the AT&T Byron Nelson at TPC Four Seasons Resort in Irving, Texas. Optimal course conditions led to a high volume of impressive scores, as seven-under par was only good enough to put Sergio Garcia, Danny Lee and Johnson Wagner into a three-way tie for first.

Four golfers are tied at six under, with another nine tied at five under:  

Rainy weather delayed the start of the tournament. The Twitter account at least had some fun with the delay:

As a result of the delay, tournament officials were forced to suspend play late into the evening with 30 golfers yet to conclude their rounds. By the time the round does end Friday, Garcia, Lee and Wagner might have company. Tom Hoge is only one shot back through 14 holes, and Bud Cauley is two shots back through 13.

At least Cauley was able to get some more sleep as a result of the delay:

Garcia had one of the day's earlier tee times, and he struggled a bit early as the course retained some of the morning's rain, but he still finished one under through his first nine holes. Once making the turn to the front nine, the 2004 champion found a different level.

Garcia earned a par on No. 1 and then gained six strokes over the next seven holes, collecting four birdies and an eagle. According to Golf Channel researcher Justin Ray, Garcia's seven-under 63 was his second-lowest opening-round score ever relative to par.

Especially on the front nine, the 36-year-old was simply in the zone. He had a near ace on No. 2, with his drive landing inches from the hole, via the PGA Tour:

He also sunk a 58-foot putt on No. 7 to earn an eagle:

In retrospect, Garcia might regret he didn't do more on the back nine, which might have provided him a cushion atop the leaderboard. Instead, he's facing a difficult fight ahead to secure his second Byron Nelson title.

Lee got off to a strong start, birdieing his first three holes of the round and adding a fourth birdie before making the turn. David Watkins of NBC 5 in Dallas/Fort Worth noted the 25-year-old is well acclimated to TPC Four Seasons Resort:

Lee maintained his impressive efficiency on the front nine and avoided any costly mistakes. According to PGATour.com, he only had a 57.14 percent (8-of-14) accuracy rate on his drives but reached 14 of his 18 greens in regulation.

Lee managed to grab a share of the lead following a late push. He birdied Nos. 7 and 8 before carding a par on No. 9.

Wagner was similarly consistent and posted a bogey-free round. His best work came on the green, where he gained 4.917 strokes, per PGATour.com, which was the highest in the round so far.

A victory in the Byron Nelson would provide a nice kick-start to Wagner's 2016 campaign. He missed six straight cuts from January through March, and he finished an average of 43rd in his last five events.

If Wagner comes out on top, he will have more than earned it with so many golfers tightly packed near the top of the leaderboard.

Dustin Johnson and Jordan Spieth are among those who are one shot back at six under. Johnson unleashed the best shot of the day, finding the bottom of the cup with his second shot on the par-four fourth hole, via the PGA Tour:

Scores are bound to level off. According to AccuWeather.com, the forecast for Friday and Saturday calls for temperatures in the 80s with no precipitation. Course conditions will likely get more difficult as the mercury rises and the greens and fairways dry out.

Still, the fact that 24 golfers are within three shots of the lead should produce some entertaining drama over the next three days.

Post-Round Reaction

"I got the most out of the round which is what I was looking for last week that I just couldn't get," said Spieth of his opening round, per Joe Trahan of WFAA.

Of course, that's not to say Spieth was entirely satisfied with his performance. He discussed how he headed for Irving hoping to become stronger mentally after missing the cut for The Players Championship, per ESPN.com’s Jason Sobel:

"

It's just kind of something that everyone goes through. You've got to learn to deal with it your own way. Everyone gets frustrated when you play golf. You can't be perfect in this game. Everyone who is out here is on some level of being a perfectionist. Kind of counters each other. That's where you get frustrated.

"

For Garcia, the day couldn't have gone much better, the course conditions included.

"Texas has always been good to me," he said, per Rex Hoggard of GolfChannel.com. "I've always enjoyed these kind of golf courses that usually are a little bit firmer than today. It's always a little bit breezy and you have to place the ball in the right spots and I've always enjoyed that kind of golf."