Rickie Fowler has never won a WGC event.
He might have a chance this week.
Fowler, who hasn’t played since the Ryder Cup matches, shot a bogey-free 65 Thursday in Shanghai at the HSBC Champions event.
Surprise leader is Rikard Karlberg of Sweden, who is playing in his first-ever WGC event. He shot 64 despite a bogey on the par five 18th, his only hiccup of the day.
The entire field slogged their way around Sheshan International Golf Club. The course took on more than five inches of rain over the weekend and the pro-am was shortened on Wednesday due to more rain.
The first round was played in a light rain that didn’t seem to bother Fowler, who took two weeks off following the U.S. victory at Hazeltine.
Defending champion Russell Knox, excited about a return to the site of his first big win, responded with a 66 that put him at six-under along with Daniel Berger and Hideki Matsuyama.
Paul Casey, who has become a fixture at the top of leaderboards lately, shot 67.
Some players didn’t fare as well in the wet conditions.
Rory McIlroy, who put a new TaylorMade driver and fairway woods into his bag, shot 71 on a day when 19 players in the 78-man field turned in sub-70 rounds.
World’s No. 2 Dustin Johnson had an epic struggle, he managed to hit only seven fairways on his way to a two-over par 74.
Patrick Reed was even worse. He had six bogeys and a triple on his way to an opening 76.
