FedExCup update: Iron shaft switch propels Beau Hossler to first-round 60, move into top 70 at Wyndham Championship

GREENSBORO, N.C. -- Beau Hossler may have been 7 feet away from becoming the third Mr. 59 of the year. But his 10-under 60 in the morning wave of Round 1 at the Wyndham Championship moved him into the lead and from 87th to projected 51st in the FedExCup Playoffs and Eligibility Points List, well within the top 70 that will advance to the FedEx St. Jude Championship for the Playoffs.

The Texas alum set the tone for the day by draining a 48-foot birdie putt on No. 1. Playing under preferred lies, as wind and rains from Tropical Storm Debby postponed the first round to Friday, he birdied Nos. 2-4, then stuck his second shot to 2 feet on the par-5 fifth to start 6-under through five holes.

Hossler added one more birdie to make the turn in 28, then carded four birdies against one bogey on the back nine for a 3-under 32. His lone bogey came at the par-4 11th, where his drive into the right rough necessitated a layup and he couldn't get it up-and-down.

Needing a final-hole birdie to join Cameron Young (Travelers Championship) and Hayden Springer (John Deere Classic) as players to break 60 this year, Hossler hit his approach shot into the greenside bunker. He splashed out to 7 feet and converted the putt for a par.

"Anytime you can make a 4 on 18 here you've done well," Hossler said, reflecting on his closing stretch. "I knew if I had any chance to make birdie, I had to get it in the fairway. Once I was in the left rough there was just no way I'd be able to get it on that shelf to have a real look."

Hossler needs at least a solo-third place finish or better to have a chance at making it to Memphis for the FedEx St. Jude. His opening round was just what he needed to start his campaign, especially amidst a season and on a course marked by inconsistencies.

Still searching for a maiden TOUR win, Hossler started the year with three top-25s and no missed cuts in six starts. But since THE PLAYERS Championship in March, the 29-year-old has missed eight cuts in 15 starts, including both of his starts leading up to the Wyndham.

In four starts at Sedgefield Country Club, Hossler has three missed cuts and a T65. "This course has not treated me particularly well in the past, so I was just coming here and trying to play as well as I could and see what I got," Hossler said after the round.

So, what switch did he flip to take a four-stroke lead and dominate the field in Strokes Gained: Approach?

"I'd say the last month I've switched iron shafts back into what I was using kind of years ago," Hossler said. "And it seems like my iron play's gotten better, a lot less curve on the ball, the bottom feels a little more stable. I've been working on some keys in my swing.

"I've been hitting it really nicely for the last two tournaments even though I missed both the cuts. I made some bad errors on course management. Today I played nicely, I hit it beautifully and thought my way around the course pretty well."

Or perhaps, it was the day off that Thursday's torrential rains mandated.

"Basically, I did nothing (yesterday)," Hossler said. "Sat inside, watched 'Game of Thrones' for a bit, drank some coffee ... My physio, we had some people over at the house and he made chicken parmesan ... I guess I'm not great at taking days off, but when it's forced like that, you've kind of got to do it. Maybe I should do it more often."

In fact, Hossler's WHOOP only recorded four minutes of stress on Thursday. "I think it was me driving to the coffee shop in the middle of a hurricane," he said jokingly.

With three more rounds to go, Hossler can expect a little more than four minutes of stress.

Movers

Matt Kuchar is the only player to have qualified for all 17 FedExCup Playoffs, a historic streak in a game where consistency can be fleeting. His early-season results – no finish better than T17 in his first 18 starts – suggested that the streak would end in anticlimactic fashion.

Yet Kuchar, 46, isn’t fading gently into that good night. After a tie for third at the 3M Open and an eclectic off-week (watching the Olympics, visiting his coach on Long Island, and losing to his son Cameron for the first time in Idaho), he’s back on the leaderboard’s first page at the Wyndham. Kuchar opened in 6-under 64 at Sedgefield Country Club, a track on which he hasn’t had much success, to maintain hopes of the victory he needs to qualify for the Playoffs. He entered the week at No. 111 on the FedExCup Playoffs and Eligibility Points List; a solo second would fall short of cracking the top 70. But a win would do the trick ...

With an opening 6-under 64, three-time PGA TOUR winner Brendon Todd moved from 69th to a projected 63rd in the FedExCup Playoffs and Eligibility Points List. Now further within the top 70 bubble that will tee it up in Memphis, the Pittsburgh native is hoping to capitalize on a season marked by two top-10s and four top-25s.

"You know, it's just prepare well, focus on each shot, don't give anything away and let good golf take care of itself," Todd said. "Like I said earlier, this is one of my favorite golf courses for my game, so it's a good place to come needing to play well."

And play well he did. His bogey-free round included six birdies, including three straight to close out the day.

Bubble boy

Victor Perez flew from Paris to North Carolina at No. 70 on the FedExCup Playoffs and Eligibility Points List, squarely on the line for a Playoffs berth, and this week’s scenario presented a unique challenge: recentering after a final-round 63 at his home Paris Olympics on Sunday to secure a Playoffs berth in his first season as a TOUR member.

Entering the week just three points ahead of Davis Riley for the final Playoffs berth, Perez knew that a made cut at Sedgefield would go a long way. Things looked shaky early in Round 1, as he carded a double-bogey 6 on his second hole (the par-4 11th), but the Frenchman’s attitude carried the day. He rebounded with seven birdies against one bogey for a 4-under 66, safely inside the leaderboard’s top 20.

“Underneath the iceberg of just performance, your life, everything that's going on sometimes can trigger you positively or negatively,” Perez said. “I'm obviously in a good place coming off a good result last week, and try to keep it going.

“I think sometimes you make that mistake and you get really frustrated, and sometimes you make it and it doesn't really bother you. It's really hard to know exactly why sometimes it bothers you and sometimes it doesn't. Luckily, for me it didn't, and I was able to bounce back and put on a good round.”

Notables

Jordan Spieth, who entered the week at No. 62 on the FedExCup Playoffs and Eligibility Points List, opened in 3-under 67 at Sedgefield. The next two weeks represent a two-part mission for Spieth, who is safely inside the top 70 but looking to move inside the top 50 after the FedEx St. Jude to secure a spot in next year's Signature Events ... Needing a two-tie for T50 or better to give himself a shot at the Playoffs, No. 72 Andrew Putnam shot a first-round 68. That puts him at T39 for the tournament after Friday's play, but no projected change in the Points List. The 35-year-old Pepperdine alumni will have to keep the birdies rolling ... Two-time TOUR winner Emiliano Grillo's 1-under 69 was not enough to keep him in the top 70. The Argentinian moved from 67th to a projected 71st ... Kurt Kitayama, No. 73 in the FedExCup, opened in 3-under 67 and stood T22 at the time of suspension. The UNLV alum needs a solo 28th at minimum, likely more, for a chance to qualify for the Playoffs ... Vince Whaley entered the week at No. 121 on the FedExCup, needing a win to qualify for the Playoffs. He opened in 5-under 65 at Sedgefield to keep his hopes alive.

PGA TOUR's Kevin Prise contributed to this report.