WGC Bridgestone Invitational 2018: Ian Poulter Holds 1-Stroke Lead After Round 1

Ian Poulter entered the week with big goals. Through one round of the 2018 WGC Bridgestone Invitational, he's on his way to accomplishing them.

Poulter carded an eight-under 62 Thursday, giving him a one-stroke lead over Rickie Fowler and Kyle Stanley. The outspoken Brit, who won earlier this year for the first time since 2012 on the PGA Tour, carded eight birdies without a single bogey. 

Poulter said on Sky Sports after the round (via the Daily Mail):

"I had a lot of fun. If you shoot 62, especially on this course, you've obviously done a lot of good things. I put it in play a lot, hit a lot of good second shots and have myself loads of chances.

It was really nice to get one on this golf course. I posted my stats this morning and I was really frustrated when I looked at it as a whole. Tied 13th was as good as I've done and that's simply not good enough so it was good motivation to look at that this morning, come out and try to be aggressive and post a number."

Poulter finished one shot from tying the course record of nine under. He hit more than three-quarters of his greens in regulation and 85.7 percent of his fairways for his best-ever round at the Bridgestone. 

That said, course conditions were ripe for low scores, and Poulter won't pull away. Fowler and Stanley are each a shot behind, and there are bigger names lurking.

Rory McIlroy overcame shaky play off the tee and with his putter to shoot a five-under 65. McIlroy gave himself enough opportunities with his irons to allow his puts to drop. Three of his five birdies came from inside 10 feet.

McIlroy told Keith Jackson of Sky Sports:

"I don't think you could find this golf course any easier than we had it today. It's probably the softest I've ever seen it. Usually you have to hit your ball in the fairway here, but even when I missed a few shots in the rough it seemed like you could even get your ball to stop on the greens, even if they're tucked behind bunkers.

The ninth hole was a prime example. I missed it in the right rough and the pin's tucked over that bunker front-right, and I still felt I could go straight at it and not worry about it going through the green."

Sitting another stroke behind in a tie for 14th is Tiger Woods, who shot a four-under 66. Woods sneaked into the Bridgestone field with his sixth-place finish at The Open Championship, which brought him back into the world top 50. He hit half his fairways and said he was unhappy with how the round went. 

"I didn't quite hit the ball as well as I wanted to today," Woods told reporters. "It was kind of a grind today, and I fought it out pretty good, except for the bogey at the last. I really did some good work just to make a few pars and scramble a little bit and really felt like I putted well."

Dustin Johnson is sitting in a tie for 39th after shooting one under.