Taylor leads Shriners Hospitals Open with 1st-round 63; Mickelson 2 back
Nick Taylor fired an 8-under 63 in Round 1 of the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open to hold an early one-shot lead in Las Vegas.
The 31-year-old Canadian posted a bogey-free round with six birdies and an eagle at TPC Summerlin. Taylor's made the cut in five previous trips to the Shriners, where his best finish is tied for 25th in 2015.
Brian Harman also kept a clean scorecard in Thursday's round to sit alone in second. He shot 7-under, the lowest round of the afternoon wave, and will look to take advantage of pristine scoring conditions on Friday morning.
Perhaps the most surprising name near the top of the leaderboard is Phil Mickelson. He carded a 6-under 65 to mark his lowest round on Tour since February. Lefty's last top-40 finish was at the 2019 Masters.
Here's how the top of the leaderboard stands after Round 1:
| Place | Player | To Par | R1 Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nick Taylor | -8 | 63 |
| 2 | Brian Harman | -7 | 64 |
| T3 | Brian Gay | -6 | 65 |
| T3 | Sam Ryder | -6 | 65 |
| T3 | Phil Mickelson | -6 | 65 |
| T3 | Brian Stuard | -6 | 65 |
| T3 | Maverick McNealy | -7 | 65 |
The previous two champions at TPC Summerlin, Bryson DeChambeau and Patrick Cantlay, shot matching 65s to share eighth.
World No.1 Brooks Koepka started his new season with a 1-under 70. His younger brother, Chase, who is ranked 1822nd, fired 66 in his fourth PGA Tour start.
Round 2 begins on Friday at 9:40 a.m. ET.