Quick hits from Thursday at The Northern Trust
Top quote - Justin Thomas
"The tee shot I hit on the first hole today was maybe one of the most comical shots I've ever seen on my life," Thomas told pgatour.com after striking a 210-yard drive on the opening hole. "It was something you would literally see from a 25 handicapper."
Best round - Russell Henley
Henley registered eight birdies, two bogeys, and eight pars to shoot a first-round 64 at Glen Oaks Club. The 28-year-old snagged the 18-hole lead thanks to a hot flatstick, needing only 24 putts on the slick greens. " A lot of the putts I had were straight downhill or fast, so all I had to do was get it started on the line - and playing this morning the greens were really smooth," Henley told pgatour.com.
| Stat | Round 1 |
|---|---|
| Fairways hit | 10/14 |
| Greens hit | 13/18 |
| Putts per GIR | 1.538 |
Shot of the day - Kelly Kraft
Kraft faced a difficult two-putt par at the par-4 18th hole Thursday, but played the right line and speed to drop a 31-foot birdie putt. The 28-year-old opened his FedEx Cup playoffs with a 3-under-par 67.
(Video courtesy: pgatour.com)
Biggest disappointment - Hideki Matsuyama
The FedEx Cup points leader parred the first 12 holes, but stumbled coming down the stretch on Thursday. Matsuyama went 4-over the final six holes for a birdie-free 74 and sits in a tie for 102nd place.
Today was just the 4th time in Hideki Matsuyama's PGA Tour career that he failed to record a birdie in a round.
— Justin Ray (@JustinRayGC) August 24, 2017
Stat - Camilo Villegas, Chris Kirk make big moves
Villegas' 4-under-par 66 on Thursday moved him from No. 98 in the FedEx Cup standings into a projected 34th position, while Kirk also climbed 64 spots from 97th to 33rd.