Cognizant Classic Round 1

Austin Smotherman delivered the round of his life on Thursday, carding a blistering 9-under-par 62 to take a one-shot lead after the first round. Smotherman, who entered the week ranked 127th in the world, went on a historic tear with six consecutive birdies starting at the 7th hole, eventually tying the tournament's all-time 18-hole scoring record. He leads Colombia's Nico Echavarria, who posted a superb 63 of his own during the morning wave when conditions were at their most benign. The day also featured one of the most chaotic scorecards in recent memory from rookie David Ford. Despite a quadruple-bogey 7 at the par-3 17th after two failed attempts to hit out of the water, Ford remarkably holed out for back-to-back eagles on the 2nd and 3rd holes to finish with a respectable 72. Meanwhile, tournament favorite Brooks Koepka struggled to find his rhythm, posting a 3-over 74 that leaves him with significant work to do on Friday just to make the cut.