“They’re rolling flawless. Everything was great”, said Steele, who grew up in the small Californian town of Hemet where was neither a golf course nor a driving range.
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Rory McIlroy feels he is in a strong position, following his first round 68 at the Frys.com Open at Silverado in Napa.
Steele, who is among the players transitioning away from the controversial belly putter, showed no signs of trouble.
He was two shots clear of Aron Price, who was one of only five players to break par in the gusty conditions.
“I was really comfortable”, Steele, 32, told Golf Channel after racking up nine birdies in a bogey-free display in the opening round.
“Yeah, I was obligated”, McIlroy said, “but I was looking forward to coming here because I haven’t played that much and because there is stuff to do off the golf course”.
“Gave myself a lot of chances”, McIlroy said. “I converted a few, but I’ll need to hole a few more“. “I normally start my PGA season at the end of February…so it’s nice to get in a few events before the turn of the year, and hopefully when I get back to Florida, I won’t be feeling the pressure of trying to catch up to these guys”. He is relying on his limited status as a past champion and sponsor exemptions, so it was important to make the most out of his exemption this week. Asked if it was weighing on him that he needs to play well early in the year, Langley replied, “My hope is that I am playing out of that category one more week”.
A notable absentee this week is last year’s victor, Bae Sang-moon, due to a requirement for him to complete two years of military service in his native South Korea. He closed out his 65 by going eagle-birdie-birdie. “We have to outwork everybody now to pick up those little idiosyncrasies that we’ve missed over the last eight or 10 years”. “So you try to find a balance and not feel too hungover when you tee it up the next day”. So it’s good. Different experience.
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“I’ve never been to this area before, but you can see why everyone is so relaxed”. She won the Korea Women’s Open in June.
