Professional Golf Roundup: Cook, Gooch share Houston Open

Golf

Cook, Gooch share lead

Austin Cook and Talor Gooch shot 8-under-par 64s Thursday to take the lead after the first round of the Houston Open. Cook, who tied for 11th as a Monday qualifier in 2015 when the tournament was played the week before the Masters -- its calendar slot until 2018 -- shot a career-best 29 on the front side. The 28-year-old golfer from Arkansas returned to the clubhouse having hit every one of the 18 greens in regulation, another career first. "It's definitely nice to get out and have a great round in the first round," Cook said, before expressing frustration with his recent missed cuts lately because of "iffy ball-striking" on his part and far too many low scores around him. "A few of (the missed cuts) were by one shot. Last week (the cut in Las Vegas) went to 5-under. I wasn't expecting that." The PGA Tour returned to the Houston area after an 18-month hiatus without much star power -- the highest-ranked player in the field for the season's fifth fall start was Sweden's Henrik Stenson at No. 37 -- but plenty of good play. There were 13 players under par by at least five shots. Russell Henley, Lanto Griffin and Tyler McCumber are lurking after 6-under 66s, and the five-man group at 67 includes 20-year-old Houstonian Cole Hammer, the second-ranked amateur in the world. The University of Texas sophomore couldn't have made his regular PGA Tour debut more memorable, becoming one of just nine amateurs to birdie at least eight holes in a round on tour since 1996. Only Ty Tryon has managed more, making nine in the 2001 B.C. Open.

Pulkkanen leads Italian Open

Tapio Pulkkanen of Finland matched his career-best score on the European Tour with a 7-under 64 to take a one-stroke lead Thursday after the first round of the Italian Open. Pulkkanen, who graduated from the European Challenge Tour last season, sunk seven birdies and didn't have any bogeys at the Olgiata Golf club. Rory Sabbatini, the South African-born player who began representing Slovakia this year, had an eagle on the par-5 17th and was in second place. Five players -- Kurt Kitayama, Joost Luiten, Shubhankar Sharma, Bernd Wiesberger and Justin Rose -- were at 5 under. With a $7 million purse as part of the Rolex Series, the tournament is making its return to Rome after a 17-year absence from the Italian capital. The Rome return is part of the buildup to the 2022 Ryder Cup at the nearby Marco Simone club.

Sports on 10/11/2019

Upcoming Events