Ricardo Gonzalez hits out of a greenside bunker on the fourth hole during the final round of the Galleri Classic at Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage, Calif., March 31, 2024. Denmark’s Soren Kjeldsen, a rookie off to a sizzling start on the PGA Tour Champions, is tied for the lead with Ricardo Gonzalez of Argentina after the first round of the Kaulig Companies Championship on Thursday in rainy, windy Akron, Ohio.
Gonzalez and Kjeldsen carded 3-under-par 67 despite a rain delay at Firestone Country Club. South Africa’s Retief Goosen, who won this event in 2019, is tied for third at 2-under 68 with Stewart Cink and New Zealand’s Steven Alker.
Kjeldsen, 50, tied for eighth in his tour debut at the Senior PGA Championship on May 25, then tied for second at both the Principal Charity Classic (in a playoff) on June 1 and the American Family Insurance Championship on June 8.
Gonzalez, 55, has one victory on tour, the 2024 Trophy Hassan II, with two runner-up finishes in 74 events.
Kjeldsen started slowly with even-par 35 on the front nine, including bogeys at the par-5 No. 2 and the par-4 No. 9. In between, he birdied Nos. 4 and 6.
The back nine was more hospitable with birdies at the par-4 No. 10, the par-3 No. 12 and the par-4 No. 17 for a 32.
“Yeah, I got off to a little bit of a slow start with the bogey on 2, but conditions were tough so it was sort of a matter of hanging in there,” Kjeldsen said. “I thought I played well, I hit a lot of good shots. I hit a couple of wild drives that I sort of got away with, so I scrambled well when I needed to do that, sort of kept the momentum going. Even the bogey on 9, I made a good putt for the bogey, so I kept it going today, which was key.”
Gonzalez started on the back nine and was 1 over with a bogey at the par-4 No. 18. He heated up on the front nine with birdies at Nos. 1-3 before halting the streak with a bogey at No. 4. Birdies at Nos. 7 and 8 got him to 3 under.
After the round, Gonzalez said putting was the key, particularly during the birdie run after the turn.
“They’re very important on this golf course,” he said.
Goosen also began his day at No. 10, made all pars until a birdie at the par-4 No. 17, then gave back a stroke with a bogey. He was 2 under on the front nine with birdies at Nos. 4 and 9.
“The front nine with that weather coming in, those squirrelly showers, it played pretty tough,” Goosen said. “Some of the holes played — and the wind also suddenly changed from southwest to northwest. We played these last few holes almost straight into the wind.”
Cink’s adventurous round featured five birdies and three bogeys as he posted a 34 on both nines. Alker was at 4 under with a 31 on the front nine, then made bogey at Nos. 14 and 17 to drop two strokes for the round.
Defending champion Ernie Els of South Africa carded a 2-over 72 and is tied for 29th.
–Field Level Media
