Ace performance puts Luke Donald among early Wyndham frontrunners

18 August 2016 11:53

Luke Donald sank a hole-in-one during an impressive opening round at the Wyndham Championship.

The 38-year-old found the cup from 175 yards in Greensboro, with four birdies and a bogey elsewhere steering him to a five-under 65 on Thursday.

He sits two strokes behind joint leaders Rafael Cabrera Bello and Kevin Na, who both enjoyed flawless starts in North Carolina with blemish-free 63s.

Donald's ace on the 16th meant one PGA Tour fan will have their mortgage paid for a year by a tournament sponsor, and the Englishman was more than happy to oblige.

"It will make a huge deal to someone's life to have their whole year paid off," Donald told pgatour.com at the Sedgefield Country Club. "I think it's going to be obviously very pleasing to someone."

Referring to his hole-in-one, drained with a nine-iron off the tee, Donald added: "It looked good all the way. I h it it a foot short and it went in the hole."

Last year's winner Davis Love III is not defending his crown but Na, Derek Fathauer, Peter Malnati, Brandt Snedeker, Shawn Stefani and Patrick Reed, who holed a 38-foot birdie putt on the par-four 17th, all represent the United States in the fledgling top 10.

Veteran player Jim Furyk - the only man to shoot 58 on the Tour - is not far behind after sinking four straight birdies on the front nine.

Among the American players bidding for a wild-card place in Love's Ryder Cup team is Rickie Fowler, who carded a three-under 67 just a week after tying for 37th as golf made its return to the Olympic Games.

Greg Owen of England and Scot Martin Laird are, along with Fowler, part of a large share of 22nd place, with Northern Irishman Graeme McDowell a further stroke behind.

Source: PA