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Honda Classic 2021: Matt Jones Cards Record-Tying 61 in Opening Round
March 18, 2021
Matt Jones stormed out to shoot a 61 on Thursday to take the first-round lead at the Honda Classic.
The Australian tied a tournament record with his first-round performance and sits at nine under par, good enough for a three-stroke lead over Aaron Wise and Russell Henley in second place.
Even without any top-10 players in the field, big names like Phil Mickelson, Rickie Fowler and Lee Westwood are in attendance at PGA National in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. These stars and more will hope to climb the leaderboard with a $7 million purse on the line.
Round 1 Leaderboard
1. Matt Jones (-9)
T2. Aaron Wise (-6)
T2. Russell Henley (-6)
T4. Scott Harrington (-4)
T4. Kevin Chappell (-4)
T4. Cameron Davis (-4)
T4. Steve Stricker (-4)
T8. Cameron Tringale (-3)
T8. Shane Lowry (-3)
T8. Zach Johnson (-3)
T8. C.T. Pan (-3)
T8. Chase Seiffert (-3)
T8. Will Gordon (-3)
Full leaderboard and stats available at PGATour.com.
In a field full of talent, it was the 40-year-old Jones who came through with a surprisingly dominant opening round:
"It was one of the best rounds I've seen in my life," Adam Hadwin (two over) said after playing alongside Jones, per Ben Everill of PGATour.com.
Jones had nine birdies with zero bogeys in the round, averaging 319.3 yards off the tee while gaining 2.631 strokes with his putting. It was a nearly flawless all-around effort and put him in great position to win his second career PGA tournament and first since the 2014 Shell Houston Open.
"I play golf for a living—I mean, I should be able to shoot a good golf score occasionally," Jones said after the round.
Wise and Henley also put up low numbers, although they took different paths to get there.
While Wise crushed the ball off the tee on his way to eight birdies, accuracy was an issue as the Oregon product logged two bogeys. Henley had a smoother approach and was excellent on the green on his way to five birdies and an eagle on the 18th hole.
Steve Stricker then put himself in contention during the late session with some aggressive shots on the back nine:
Chase Koepka was a story in the early going of Round 1 as his brother, Brooks, cheered along:
The 27-year-old slowed down from his hot start but still ended up in good position at one under. The younger Koepka received a sponsorship exemption to qualify for this event.
Several top players didn't find themselves on the leaderboard but still had positive moments while trying to get on the right track.
Rickie Fowler sits in a tie for 43rd place after shooting 70, while Phil Mickelson is tied for 63rd after his 71.
Last year's winner, Sungjae Im, shot 68 on Thursday to tie for 15th.
Bo Hoag (one over) didn't have the best round but might have produced the top shot of the day with his eagle on No. 13:
Everyone is chasing Jones, but there are 54 holes remaining for the contenders in Florida.
The second round will kick off Friday at 7:25 a.m. ET, with players trying to keep up with what could be a low cut line.