Paisley 61 to Open in Round One; Six Players IN and Six OUT of FINALS Top 25!
Chris Paisley, starting off No. 10 in the last tee time of the afternoon wave, finished his first nine holes birdie-eagle to post a 30 and then continued on to post a tournament leading 61. The Englishman’s stellar performance vaulted him up the FINALS Money List 97 slots from T100 to a projected 3rd place finish if he goes on to win the Web.com Tour Championship!
While Paisley won for the first time on the European Tour back in January it was the $216,900 he won in four PGA TOUR starts this year that qualified him for the 4-event FINALS competition. The two-time winner at the University of Tennessee missed the cut in the first three FINALS events and needs to keep doing what he is doing—and finish in a two-way tie for 4th or better—to become a PGA TOUR member next year
The morning wave had little wind and hot, ideal conditions for scoring on the 6,849 yard par-71 course at Atlantic Beach CC that features five par-3s ranging from 153 to 229 yards.
Ben Silverman, in the 8th threesome off the 10th tee birdied the two second nine par-3s and three other par-4s making the turn at 5-under 31. Then on the first nine he posted five 3s but no deuces on the three par-3s—birding two par-4s and the par-5 6th hole—to post a 32.
How does one shoot an eight-birdie, no bogey 63?
Tactically and statistically: Drive it 285 yards on the two hole the tour measures (T69), hit 11 of 13 fairways (T45); hit all 18 greens and take only 28 putts on those greens. You do the math—no 3-putts—and eight of those putts went in for birdie!
Silverman, out of Canada, is still a great hockey player according to his PGA TOUR profile.
Finishing 10th last year on the Web.com Regular Season Money List he got off to a good start on the 2017-18 PGA TOUR finishing T7 at Sanderson Farms and T8 at the RSM Classic. At one time he was ranked 43 in the FedExCup Points Standing. However as his 28-event rookie PGA TOUR season went on he started missing cuts; at one time 3-of-4 and then three straight. He rebounded with a T11 finish at the Fort Worth Invitational, a T12 at the Barbasol, and a T11 at Barracuda. Missing the cut at the regular season finale at the Wyndham, the husband of Morgan and father to 1-year-old Jack Palmer (interesting, wonder who his idols are?), finished 136 in FedExCup Points, just outside the Top 125 to retain a fully-exempt tour card.
Then he headed to the Web.com Tour FINALS and hasn’t played well until this morning finishing T58—CUT—CUT. Yesterday he was T103, well outside one of the Top 25 FINALS spots. Today he went from T85 to 12th and needs to go on and finish strong and retain that fully exempt card after all.
Cameron Tringale posted a 63 in the afternoon to tie Silverman two strokes behind Paisley. The 2017 FINALS Graduate was also a FINALS pole vaulter in the first round going up 72 spots from T83 to 11th. In 26 PGA TOUR events this year he had only one Top-25 and finished No. 195 in the FedExCup Points Standing. In the first three FINALS events he has gone CUT-T56-CUT so like Paisley and Silverman he needs a big week at Atlantic Beach CC.
FINALS Top 25 Bubble Watch:
The six players that moved INTO the FINALS Top 25 and their Round One scores: Chris Paisley (61), Cameron Tringale (63), Ben Silverman (63), Ben Crane (64), Matt Every (64), and Lucas Glover (64).,
The corresponding six players that moved OUT of the FINALS Top 25 and their Round One scores: Wes Roach (67), Aaron Baddeley (68), Lanto Griffin (69), Brian Campbell (69), Joseph Bramlett (71), and Scott Pinckney (71).
Looks like it was 64 or better to open!
Let’s see what happens tomorrow in Round Two!