GolfWRX’s photographer was live this week from the Shriners Hospitals for Children’s Open, just outside Las Vegas at TPC Summerlin, and I’m here covering the event live, as well.

Related: Photos from the Shriners Open

 

The field this week is unexpectedly super-sized after a mix-up between the PGA Tour and the tournament hosts, resulting in a 144-player field rather than 132. The smaller number had been requested because of the Shriner’s unusual November dates, pushed back from October on account of schedule complications in this Olympics year. Among those taking advantage of the 12 extra slots was fist-round leader Rod Pampling, who opened with a course-record 60 on Thursday. But after following Brooks Koepka’s group for the majority of the day on Thursday, I like his chances despite a 2-stroke deficit. Below are 4 reasons why.

1) Birdie Fest

Brooks Koepka opened with nine birdies on Thursday, leading to a 9-under 62. Koepka was tied for second at mid-day, as both he and John Huh were two back of Rod Pampling’s course-record 60 performance.

Koepka looked in absolute control for most of his round; he hit 10 of 14 fairways, 15 of 18 greens and was T3 in strokes-gained putting (3.057). And his awesomely athletic ball-striking? Yep, it definitely was that — awesome.

It wasn’t only those of us outside the ropes who were impressed, either. Playing partner Billy Horschel was moved to tease Koepka on the latter’s choice of 8-iron to fly it over the pin to the back fringe on the 197-yard par-3 fifth. Eight-iron! 197!

2) Saving Pars

Perhaps the most telling sign of just how dialed-in the world No. 22-ranked golfer is this week were the pair of scrambling pars he saved to keep his card bogey-free.

The first came at what was Koepka’s sixth hole — the course’s 15th — a driveable par-4. His pin-high tee shot strayed left, and rattled around a sloping patch of desert waste ground. When his ball finally came to rest, Koepka had his work cut out. Between him and the pin were a tree-topped grass mound, and a sand trap on the mound’s far slope. There appeared to be green to work with, but apparently not enough room for the shot to get airborne.

So Koepka lined up his second shot off toward his left, away from the pin, but also safely away from tree and trap, in the direction of the broad, back expanse of green. Turned out, however, that the real problem must have been the lie, because Koepka managed only a kind of dusty chunk that made it barely a couple of yards onto the edge of the green, on that indirect line he’d adopted. From there, Koepka chipped across the sloping green to the far fringe, 12 or so feet from the cup.

And drained it.

3) Saving More Pars

Koepka’s second scrambling par came on the sixth. Another perfect drive left only a wedge or short iron to the green from the center of the fairway. But here, too, Koepka strayed left, heading toward cart path and more scrub. Luckily, though, the errant ball clanged off a tall camera pole in the rough and shot back into the fairway, finishing some 40 yards from the stick. A short pitch rolled out to 20-25 feet, and from there Koepka stroked another dead-center one-putt.

That’s how you keep momentum going in a round.

4) Practice Sessions Paying Off

I was struck, earlier this week, by the hours of intensely focused practice Koepka put in on the range on Tuesday. After his sparkling Thursday round, he pointed to that work.

“Took Monday off, just kind of relaxed, took it easy, and then Tuesday got back to work,” he told the media. “Put in a good session, about five or six hours on the range, and it showed today.”

Indeed it did. And if it keeps showing, I for one wouldn’t bet against there being a Vegas payoff for Brooks Koepka come Sunday afternoon.