Alex Noren of Sweden rolled in 11 birdies to claim the first-round lead in the Butterfield Bermuda Championship on Thursday in Southampton, Bermuda.
Noren posted a career-low, 10-under-par 61 at Port Royal Golf Course and had a two-stroke cushion with most players in the clubhouse Thursday afternoon. After starting on the back nine, he made seven birdies over an eight-hole stretch that culminated with a birdie 2 at the par-3 third hole.
He picked up his only bogey at No. 5 before finishing with three more birdies over the last four. The 41-year-old spun his approach at the par-4 ninth just a few feet from the cup for a tap-in birdie to tie the course record.
D.J. Trahan, Vince Whaley, Robert Garrigus and Dylan Wu carded rounds of 8-under 63, the latter three going bogey-free on the day.
Stewart Cink, 50, was part of a large tie at 7-under 64. Adam Scott of Australia, the highest-ranked player in the field, opened with a 6-under 65.
Adam Long broke the PGA Tour record for consecutive fairways hit, extending it to 69 in a row before he finally missed off the tee. He entered the tournament with his streak at 58 and easily cleared the previous record of 59.
The tournament is the penultimate event of the new FedEx Cup Fall series, where tour players are vying to finish in the top 125 of the points standings to retain full status for the 2024 PGA Tour season.
–Field Level Media