Wyndham Championship 2022: Luke Donald and Danny Willett make slow begins as John Huh prospects in Greensboro

A stunning spherical of 61 acquired John Huh the first-spherical guide at the Wyndham Championship, though there was lots of aim more down the leaderboard in the remaining celebration of the regular season on the PGA Tour.

Gamers these as Danny Willett, Harry Higgs and each Ryder Cup captains – Luke Donald and Zach Johnson – are outdoors the top 125 and in threat of dropping their playing privileges for up coming period.

There had been much better symptoms for Higgs and Johnson who labored their way into red figures, but Willett carded a 75 to sit at five-over.

Matt Wallace started off the working day just within the lower off at 124, and he built a lousy commence to the tournament with a spherical of 71.

PGA Tour rookie Austin Smotherman, who was 125 at the begin of the week, made an opportune second to card his job-minimal score – 65 – to relieve the nerves somewhat.

First Round Leaderboard

• 1. John Huh, 9-below
• 2. Sungjae Im, seven-under
• T3. Peter Malnati, six-underneath
• T3. Brandon Wu, 6-underneath
• T5. Brian Stuard, five-less than
• T5. Cameron Percy, 5-underneath
• T5. Aaron Clever, 5-underneath
• T5. Austin Smotherman, 5-beneath
• T5. Ben Kohles, five-beneath
• T5. Alex Smalley, five-below
• T5. Ryan Moore, 5-less than

Rickie Fowler has an exemption for the 2023 season, so is underneath fewer tension. But he continues to struggle and a 71 leaves him on the bubble in phrases of qualifying for the FedEx Cup engage in-offs.

For Huh, his spherical of 61 is a profession-reduced rating and he is two shots obvious of Sungjae Im.

The spotlight of Huh’s spherical was a prolonged-vary eagle on the 15th.

The round came as a shock to Huh who said: “It’s type of odd, because I wasn’t actually sensation great with my activity and shoot my vocation low, it is kind of weird. Sort of mixed thoughts, but I’ll consider this any working day. I was able to consider advantage of a fantastic break and very good photographs, which is all I can say.”

Billy Horschel’s intention for the remainder of the time is to safe a spot in United States’ Presidents Cup crew. An opening spherical of 67 did his trigger no harm.