Taylor Pendrith made 10 birdies on Thursday but was denied a final-hole eagle to shoot 59. Was he thinking of shooting the 15th sub-60 round on the PGA Tour at TPC Summerlin in Las Vegas in the first round of the Shriners Children’s Open?
“Yeah, obviously,” he said in a post-round interview. “I tried to hit a great shot and just came off it a little bit. It was close to being really good, I think.”
Pendrith had blasted a 356-yard drive leaving just a 7-iron from 203 yards. But with the flag position in the front of the green, he caught it heavy and found the front greenside bunker. It was the only place he couldn’t miss.
“Me and my caddie didn’t really talk about it, but I think we both knew I was going to try and hole the bunker shot,” he said. “Of course, I was going to try to hole bunker shot. It was a tricky one, but, yeah, I gave it my best.”
The Canadian blasted 12 feet past the hole, missed the birdie putt and settled for 10-under 61, tying his career low on Tour, but still good enough for a three-stroke lead over 12 players.
Shriners: Leaderboard | Photos
Pendrith, who represented the International Team at the Presidents Cup last month and won the CJ Cup Byron Nelson in May, had it going like the gambler rolling his number at the craps tables. After a par on his first hole, No. 10, Pendrith’s heater began with birdies on five of the next six holes on his first nine as he kept sticking approach shots inside 10 feet. At the 453-yard par-4, No. 4, he wedged inside a foot for the tap-in birdie. Pendrith was long and accurate and his putter cooperated too – a beautiful combination. He ranked first in driving distance (329 yards), fourth in Strokes Gained: Approach and first in SG: Putting.
Expectations this week for Pendrith were tempered after playing just three times since the Presidents Cup and unable to play in South Florida as Hurricane Milton kept him off the course.
“I thought I would be a little bit more rusty than that,” Pendrith said. “You know, obviously thrilled and yeah, just got to keep getting back into the rhythm of things and the next few days. Yeah, feel good.”
