Austin Smotherman fired a bogey-free 62 to lead the opening round of the PGA Tour’s Cognizant Classic in The Palm Beaches by one stroke over Nico Echavarria.
Austin Smotherman delivered a masterclass in putting precision to seize the opening-round lead at the Cognizant Classic in The Palm Beaches, carding a flawless 62 that left him one shot clear of Colombia’s Nico Echavarria after Thursday’s action on the PGA Tour.
The American’s bogey-free round featured nine birdies and showcased the benefits of a bold putting adjustment. “I felt like I just wanted to hit good putts on the high line all day and just very freeing. I’m using no line on the golf ball this week for the first time in a while, but I felt like it kind of just helps with these greens,” Smotherman explained after making 132 feet of putts during his exceptional round.
PGA Tour Leaderboard Takes Shape
Echavarria matched Smotherman’s bogey-free excellence with eight birdies in his 63, crediting a mid-round putting breakthrough for his strong finish. “The greens were rolling incredible. I was struggling a little with the left to righters. Some of them I was pulling them and some of them I wasn’t starting them on line. We found a little bit of setup and path for those left to right putts, and it worked well,” the Colombian said.
A group of six players sits tied for third at four-under 67, including Americans Taylor Moore, Jackson Suber, Kevin Roy, and Daniel Berger, along with Norway’s Kristoffer Reitan and Sweden’s Pontus Nyholm. Moore’s round featured the day’s most spectacular highlight – an eagle at the par-5 10th hole that helped offset a single bogey.
The par-5 10th hole emerged as the day’s most generous scoring opportunity, yielding 78 birdies and averaging 4.36 strokes – nearly two-thirds of a shot under par. In contrast, the par-3 17th proved the sternest test, playing 0.4 shots over par with 42 bogeys recorded against just five birdies.
With perfect scoring conditions producing a field average of 71.3, the stage is set for an intriguing weekend as players chase Smotherman’s early pace-setting performance on the PGA Tour.
This article was created with the help of AI and editorially reviewed.