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Lucas Herbert is the sole owner of first place at the Fortinet Championship after a 9-under 63 on Thursday. The Aussie tied his lowest score ever in a single round on the PGA Tour.
Trailing him in second is S.H. Kim (7-under), followed by six players in a tie for third at 6-under, headlined by past major winner Jason Dufner.
Tournament favorite Max Homa, who has won the last two editions at Silverado Resort and Spa (Napa Valley, CA), is in a tie for 35th at 2-under.
Fortinet Championship leaderboard
Contents
| Position | Name | Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 3 | Round 4 | Total | Thru |
| 1 | Lucas Herbert | 63 | -9 (63) | F | |||
| 2 | S.H. Kim | 65 | -7 (65) | F | |||
| T3 | Kelly Kraft | 66 | -6 (66) | F | |||
| T3 | Jason Dufner | 66 | -6 (66) | F | |||
| T3 | Harry Hall | 66 | -6 (66) | F | |||
| T3 | Sung Kang | 66 | -6 (66) | F | |||
| T3 | Zac Blair | 66 | -6 (66) | F | |||
| T3 | Mark Hubbard | 66 | -6 (66) | F |
First round highlights
We’ll dive into the best moments from Thursday’s action.
Herbert torches the back nine, builds huge lead
The 27-year-old poured in seven birdies on the back nine to post a 7-under 30 on just holes 10-18. Herbert impressively made six consecutive birdies from holes 12-18 and rolled in a total of 144 feet of putts.
On the front nine, the Bendigo, Victoria, Australia native recorded a three-under 33 and totaled 10 birdies for his entire round.
Six straight birdies 🤯@LHGolf5 is 9-under heading to the last @FortinetChamp. pic.twitter.com/HrQfgpYzzh
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) September 14, 2023
Herbert is attempting to win for the second time on the PGA Tour. His lone victory came at the 2021 Butterfield Bermuda Championship when he defeated Patrick Reed and Danny Lee by one stroke.
A triumph would mark two worldwide wins in less than five months. Herbert won the ISPS Handa Championship (DP World Tour) on April 30.
S.H. Kim takes hold of second place
Kim posted the second-best score of the day with his 7-under 65. The bogey-free round featured five birdies and an eagle on the 14th hole. The “big bird” was a hole out from 106 yards away on the fairway.
Birdie from long range 💪
S.H. Kim is just two back after draining this 36-footer. pic.twitter.com/JDqkUzFBuz
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) September 14, 2023
The South Korean, 24, can win his maiden tour event if he continues his excellent play. Kim has won three times on the Japan Golf Tour.
Justin Thomas is under the microscope
The Ryder Cup captain’s pick said he doesn’t feel any pressure since he’s already been selected to play in the battle of USA vs. Europe, but many eyes are on him this week.
Thomas endured an extremely subpar season, and a decent portion of the golf world questioned if he should’ve been picked over Keegan Bradley, who has won in each of the last two seasons.
A two-time major winner, Thomas, posted a three-under round of 69 on Thursday and sits in a tie for 20th. The former University of Alabama product hit just 3-of-14 fairways but managed 13-of-18 greens in regulation.
Calm, cool, collected. Justin Thomas birdies the 12th at the @FortinetChamp! 🐤
📺: Golf Channel pic.twitter.com/ZiOaqTaJAW
— Golf Channel (@GolfChannel) September 14, 2023
After his round, the 29-year-old stated he’s trying to play well in a competitive tournament leading up to the Ryder Cup and was pleased with his score after it could’ve easily gone haywire thanks to struggles off the tee.
Updated Fortinet Championship odds ahead of day 2
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