American Express 2021: Brandon Hagy Leads by 1 Stroke After 1st Round

Brandon Hagy leads the field after a strong first round at The American Express golf tournament.

The unique event in La Quinta, California, features multiple courses, rewarding competitors who are consistent despite different circumstances throughout the week.

Hagy began the tournament on the Nicklaus Tournament Course and shot 64 Thursday to sit eight strokes under par. Si Woo Kim had the best score on the Stadium Course with a 66, although he sits in a tie for third behind Byeong Hun An in second.

There is still plenty of time for others to make up ground, especially with big names like Brooks Koepka, Patrick Cantlay, Tony Finau, Phil Mickelson and Rickie Fowler capable of posting low scores in the coming days.

Round 1 Leaderboard

1. Brandon Hagy (-8)

2. Byeong Hun An (-7)

T3. Si Woo Kim (-6)

T3. Martin Laird (-6)

T3. Max Homa (-6)

T6. Charl Schwartzel (-5)

T6. Sam Ryder (-5)

T6. Michael Thompson (-5)

T6. Tyler Duncan (-5)

T6. Doug Ghim (-5)

T6. Maverick McNealy (-5)

T6. Alex Noren (-5)

T6. Andrew Putnam (-5) 

Full leaderboard and stats available at PGATour.com.

There were a lot of ways for players to succeed in this one, whether it was long drives, accuracy, conservative play or aggressiveness.

Byeong Hun An excelled with his ability to avoid mistakes, tallying seven birdies in a bogey-free round. He reached 15 greens in regulation and remained consistent on his way to the clubhouse lead.

Brandon Hagy had two bogeys, but he shot up the leaderboard thanks to three different runs of three birdies in a row and 10 total:

It put the 29-year-old in first place after the opening round, and he will hope to keep it going as he vies for his first PGA victory.

Hagy wasn't the only one who went through a hot streak on Thursday. Tony Finau thrived with six straight birdies around the turn, one of his best runs of his career:

Finau did struggle with consistency, however, dropping him out of the top 10 while finishing four strokes under par.

The competition remains close with 38 players within four strokes, but Finau is among the several notable players just out of reach who can climb the leaderboard.

Patrick Cantlay sits at three under thanks to five birdies, including an impressive chip-in on No. 12:

It wasn't a great start for everyone, including the host of the event: Phil Mickelson. Lefty shot 74 in Round 1, which wasn't helped by brutal breaks like this one:

Rickie Fowler and Brooks Koepka are also outside the top 100 after failing to break par.

These players will hope a switch to the opposite course could lead to more success in Round 2.