2021 Houston Open leaderboard: 4-way tie on high with huge names pushing after play suspended for darkness

Two of the perfect ball-strikers within the discipline are on the high of the leaderboard after a part of Spherical 1 of the 2021 Houston Open. Russell Henley, Talor Gooch, Marc Leishman and Luke Checklist all share the 5-under lead after play was suspended due to darkness following a rain delay early within the spherical, however there are at the moment 73 different golfers inside 5 of that lead and quite a bit nonetheless left to complete their rounds.

Henley and Gooch have been on an absolute tear from tee to inexperienced of late and each ranked within the high 10 on this discipline in strokes gained on method over their final 20 rounds. Gooch has 4 high 11s in 4 begins this season, and he has gained strokes on method in all three that have been measured. Henley has gained at the very least 1.5 strokes per spherical on method pictures in three of his final 4 occasions. These numbers won’t imply quite a bit to you, however the translation is fairly apparent: Each guys are scorching and stayed there on Thursday in Houston.

We’ll take a better take a look at their rounds in addition to the opposite leaders and who all is chasing going into the end of the primary spherical on Friday and the beginning of the second. There are at the moment a number of dozen gamers nonetheless have to complete their first 18 holes, together with Checklist.

T1. Russell Henley, Talor Gooch, Marc Leishman, Luke Checklist (-5): All three have been within the high 120 on this discipline in method pictures on Thursday, and all three have been within the high 10 in placing. When good ball-strikers have nice placing days, they lead golf tournaments. Gooch famous that regardless that he is been taking part in properly — he was within the ultimate pairing on Sunday final week at Mayakoba — it may be robust to convey that over to the following one.

“Yeah, anytime you are taking part in properly you attempt to seize on to that momentum, and it may be robust to take it week to week in golf as a result of there’s such a pause between match spherical and the following week’s match beginning,” stated Gooch. “So, you simply attempt to do every thing you’ll be able to to maintain doing the identical issues. I have been capable of hold doing that by way of the stretch, so hopefully we will proceed it for the remainder of this week.”

5. Jason Dufner (-4): Dufner uncharacteristically didn’t hit the ball very properly on Thursday. Additionally uncharacteristically, he completed within the high 10 within the discipline in placing, which implies he is now in place for his first high 10 within the final two years. “I assumed I performed fairly properly,” stated Dufner. “I used to be fairly pleased for probably the most half every thing I did, however a pair key elements form of in the course of the spherical a pair occasions helped form of glue that spherical collectively and perhaps turned a 70, 69, 68 right into a 66. So, I will take these two pictures or three pictures with these saves and look to enhance on my ball-striking.”

T6. Keith Mitchell, Ben Silverman, Jhonattan Vegas, Wyndham Clark, Adam Lengthy, Martin Coach (-3): Mitchell is who I’ve my eye on right here. He is nonetheless 40-1 to win the match, based on Caesars Sportsbook, however in place after cruising round off the tee and round these sophisticated greens on Thursday. He putted horribly (barely high 100 within the discipline) and nonetheless sits close to the lead. That 40-1 quantity is a bit too lengthy.

T12. Adam Scott, Matthew Wolff, Graeme McDowell, Shane Lowry (-2):  Wolff is searching for his third top-five end in his final 4 begins, which has been one of many extra exceptional (and inspiring) tales of the autumn to this point. He didn’t hit the ball very properly on Thursday, although, and that is one thing to regulate going into the final 54. Of the highest 31 golfers on this leaderboard, solely two had a worse strokes gained on method pictures quantity than Wolff.