RIO GRANDE, Puerto Rico — John Daly Jr. had a better time, and a far simpler golf course, than his father in his PGA Tour debut. The 22-year-old son of John Daly opened with a 2-under 70 in the Puerto Rico Open on Thursday, the place the youngsters have been all the trend and Chandler Blanchet wound up with the lead.
Blanchet bogeyed his first gap and that was his solely mistake. He adopted with 9 birdies for an 8-under 64, his lowest spherical on the PGA Tour for a one-shot lead over Gordon Sargent, the previous prime faculty golfer who has struggled the previous few years.
“It was good,” Daly mentioned. “Feel like I left a few out there, but I made it up with just a couple good saves and nice chip-in on 16.”
John Daly, the previous PGA and British Open champion, made his first PGA Tour-sanctioned begin practically 40 years in the past. But that was (*70*) Hills, not Grand Reserve, and it was the 1986 U.S. Open, not an opposite-field occasion in Puerto Rico. Daly shot 88 that first spherical.
His son was not the one participant getting consideration. Blades Brown, the 18-year-old who performed in the ultimate group with Scottie Scheffler when the world’s No. 1 participant received The American Express, opened with a 69. It was his sixteenth rating in the 60s in his 34 profession rounds on the PGA Tour.
Miles Russell, the 17-year-old from Florida and among the many prime amateurs in the world had a 71. The different younger prospect, Zhou Yanhan of China, shot 72. Zhou, 17, had seven wins on the China Tour final yr.
Blanchet earned his PGA Tour card by way of the Korn Ferry Tour final yr, successful twice, together with the circuit’s Tour Championship. But it has been a sluggish begin to his first season in the large leagues, lacking the lower in all 5 tournaments he has performed.
He hopes there’s loads of studying that comes with these weekends off, and Blanchet mentioned he seemed ahead to going through extra challenges, reminiscent of coping with brief putts he misses. He needs to get mentally stronger to cope with that.
“I missed a 5-footer right on the first hole and I looked at my caddie and he said, ‘This is our test.’ Handled it well,” Blanchet mentioned. “Then made some good birdies over the next few holes. Yeah, really solid day.”
Eugenio Chacarra, who started his professional profession on Saudi-backed LIV Golf in 2022 and have become the primary participant from the rival league to a get sponsor exemption on the PGA Tour, opened with a 73.
The winner of the Puerto Rico will get into The Players Championship and the PGA Championship, together with a two-year exemption on tour. But it doesn’t qualify for the Masters.
