Tournament of Champions 2019: Kevin Tway Holds 1-Stroke Lead After Round 1

The first tournament of 2019 is underway, and Kevin Tway holds a one-shot lead after one round at the Tournament of Champions at the Kapalua Plantation Course in Kapalua, Hawaii.

Tway set the tone on a windy day with a seven-under 66 in Round 1, but he was unable to create much separation. Gary Woodland, Justin Thomas and Dustin Johnson are hot on his tail after shooting 67s, and a total of 10 players are within three strokes of the lead.

Below is a look at how Thursday's action played out.

2019 Tournament of Champions Leaderboard — First Round

1. Kevin Tway 66 (-7)

T2. Gary Woodland 67 (-6)

T2. Justin Thomas 67 (-6)

T2. Dustin Johnson 67 (-6)

5. Marc Leishman 68 (-5)

T6. Andrew Putnam 69 (-4)

T6. Patton Kizzire 69 (-4)

T6. Andrew Landry 69 (-4)

T6. Jason Day 69 (-4)

T6. Rory McIlroy 69 (-4)

T6. Bryson DeChambeau 69 (-4)

*Full leaderboard available on the official website of the PGA Tour

Recap

Tway couldn't have asked for a much better start to the year as he was on top of his game in the first round.

The 30-year-old American notched a total of seven birdies on the day, good for second in the field. He also avoided making any major mistakes, getting through the round without a single bogey.

Just like that, he took the lead into the clubhouse after Day 1.

Meanwhile, defending Tournament of Champions victor Dustin Johnson once again finds himself in the mix as he goes for his third title in seven years.

The third-ranked golfer in the world overcame a bogey on the sixth hole behind the strength of four birdies on the front nine, recording another three over the course of the final nine holes of the day to work his way into second.

And while he is within striking distance at five-under, he hopes for better results as the weekend progresses:

Johnson won the event by eight strokes over Jon Rahm a year ago by shooting an impressive 24-under for the tournament. He shot a 16-under when winning the tournament back in 2013.

The highlight of the day came from 32-year-old Patton Kizzire, who notched the first hole-in-one of 2019:

According to the PGA Tour, it was Kizzire's eighth career hole-in-one and the first of his career on the Tour.

While he was thrilled with the outcome, he did acknowledge that he wasn't necessarily aiming for the pin:

That ace on the par-3 eighth was the highlight of a three-birdie, one-eagle performance. Kizzire currently sits three strokes back in a tie for sixth place.

Of note, world No. 1 Brooks Koepka ends Round 1 in a tie for 30th place (out of 33 golfers) at three-over. Rory McIlroy (-4) is in a tie for sixth place, while last year's runner-up, Rahm, is in a tie for 11th place at three-under.