Marc Leishman claims early lead at Tournament of Champions
Saturday 6 January 2018 17:56, UK
Marc Leishman began the year in the same form as he ended 2017 as Jordan Spieth endured a tough first day of the Sentry Tournament of Champions in Hawaii.
Leishman carded eight birdies in a resolute six-under 67 in typically breezy conditions at Kapalua, giving him a one-stroke lead over Brian Harman and Jhonattan Vegas with Rickie Fowler and Dustin Johnson a further shot adrift.
Defending champion Justin Thomas did well to get under the card as he dug deep to make three late birdies, but playing-partner Spieth failed to emulate his close friend's flying finish as he slumped to two over par.
Leishman got off to a solid start with birdies at the first and fifth either side of a bogey at the third, and he then raced up the leaderboard with four consecutive birdies from the seventh.
He slipped back when he bunkered his tee shot to the par-three 11th and failed to get his escape within 25 feet of the pin, but he bounced back with further birdies at 15 and 17 before a closing par was enough to ensure the outright lead.
Fowler produced a spectacular finish to his round having followed a faultless outward 33 with a bogey at 11 and an ugly double-bogey six at the 13th, where he pulled his second into the thick reeds and needed two hacks to escape to short grass.
The world No 7 responded with back-to-back birdies and then rolled in a 20-foot putt for a superb eagle at the last to join Players champion Si Woo Kim and Johnson on four under par.
Spanish sensation Jon Rahm mixed an eagle and four birdies with four bogeys in an entertaining 71 on his Kapalua debut, a score later matched by Thomas in the final pairing of the 34 competitors.
Thomas got to two under early on before dropping three shots in five holes around the turn, but the reigning FedExCup champion birdied three of the last five holes to haul himself to within four of the leader.
But Spieth struggled to control his irons in particular as he made only two birdies against four bogeys in a disappointing 75 which saw him end the day in a tie for 30th.
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