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Svensson posts 60, leads inaugural Black Desert Championship

golf11 October 2024 04:40| © Reuters
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Canada's Adam Svensson fired an 11-under-par 60 to grab the lead in the first round of the inaugural Black Desert Championship on Thursday in Ivins, Utah.

Svensson, who started his day on the back nine at Black Desert Resort, holed a 31 1/2-foot eagle putt at the par-5 seventh hole to jump to 10 under and have a chance at a 59. After a par at No 8, Svensson finished at the par-5 ninth and reached a greenside bunker in two shots. His recovery shot missed an improbable eagle by 4 feet, leaving him a birdie tap-in for 60 instead.

Svensson holds a two-stroke lead over Matt McCarty and Sweden's Henrik Norlander.

The Canadian made five straight birdies at Nos. 15 through 1 to get his round going. He missed a hole-in-one at the par-3 15th by 11 inches. Two holes later, he holed out from a bunker for birdie at another par-3 hole.

Svensson, 30, entered the week No 76 in the FedEx Cup Fall standings. If he finishes the fall in the 51-60 range, he will qualify for the first two signature events of 2025, the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and the Genesis Invitational.

Norlander, 37, hit all 14 fairways and all 18 greens in regulation and sank nine birdies without a bogey.

McCarty, 26, is playing his second PGA Tour event after earning promotion from the Korn Ferry Tour. He eagled the par-4 fifth hole by sinking a 36-foot putt, and he added seven birdies.

Kevin Streelman hit the inaugural tee shot at the new PGA Tour stop, the first in Utah since 1963. Streelman went on to birdie four of his last five holes to shoot a 7-under 64, setting the early pace before winding up fourth on the leaderboard as play wrapped up on Thursday evening.

More than two dozen players had yet to complete the round when play was halted due to darkness.

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