Crowe, 117th in FedExCup Standings, Fires 10 Under

Austin Championship Round 1: Fall Series Leader
Erik van Rooyen and Max Greyserman Tied for Second, Blades Brown Fourth

Trace Crowe of the United States, ranked 117th in the FedExCup standings, put in a strong effort to retain his PGA Tour status.

Crowe fired a 10-under 62 to take the lead in the first round of the PGA Tour's Austin Championship, which was held on Nov. 13 (Korea time) at the Fazio Canyons Course at Omni Barton Creek Resort & Spa in Austin, Texas (par 72, 7,451 yards), with a total purse of $6 million. Erik van Rooyen of South Africa and Max Greyserman of the United States are tied for second at 8-under 64. Some players were unable to finish their rounds before sunset.

The Austin Championship, being held for the first time this year, is the seventh of eight tournaments in the Fall Series. The RSM Classic, which begins on Nov. 20, will be the final event after the Austin Championship. To remain on the PGA Tour next year, players must finish in the top 100 of the FedExCup standings.

Trace Crow watches his shot after teeing off on the 12th hole during the first round of the Austin Championship. Austin=AFP-Yonhap News.

Crowe made 10 birdies without a bogey. Starting on the 10th hole, he made his first birdie on the 12th (both par 4s), then made consecutive birdies on holes 14-15 and 18-1. He added consecutive birdies on holes 4-5 and three in a row on holes 7-9 on the back nine to reach the top of the leaderboard. He took a two-shot lead and a chance to claim the first victory of his career. Crowe made his PGA Tour debut in 2024 and has yet to win.

Nineteen-year-old Blades Brown of the United States also put himself in position to win back-to-back tournaments. He is in fourth place, three shots behind the leader, at 7-under 65. He won last week's World Wide Technology Championship, which concluded in Mexico. At 19 years, 5 months and 18 days, he became the fourth-youngest winner in PGA Tour history.

Austin Smotherman of the United States, who won twice last month, carded a 5-under 67 and is tied for ninth. Nick Dunlap is tied for 18th at 4-under 68, while Max Homa and Billy Horschel, both of the United States, are tied for 35th at 3-under 69.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.