5 takeaways from Thursday’s first round

JACKSON, Miss. – It’s tight at the top.

There are nine players within a shot of the lead after the first round of the 2022 Sanderson Farms Championship at The Country Club of Jackson. Davis Riley, from Hattiesburg, Mississippi, and Will Gordon lead at 6 under, but there are seven golfers who are tied for third a shot behind.

Both Riley and Gordon played in the afternoon wave. Three golfers shot 5 under in the morning, but Brandon Matthews had a round to remember. Gary Woodland had a hole-in-one. Well, kind of.

Here are five takeaways from the first round of the Sanderson Farms Championship, including a pair of aces.

Sanderson Farms: Friday tee times | PGA Tour live on ESPN+

Local favorite in front after opening round

Davis Riley of the United States plays his shot from the 18th tee during the Sanderson Farms Championship at The Country Club of Jackson on September 29, 2022, in Jackson, Mississippi. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)

On Wednesday, Davis Riley called the Sanderson Farms Championship his fifth major.

He said that added pressure is likely why he hasn’t played as well in this event as he would have liked. Yet during Thursday’s first round at The Country Club of Jackson, he turned aside all of his past misfortunes and tied the round of the day, along with Will Gordon.

Riley, from Hattiesburg, Mississippi, shot 6-under 66 to take the lead heading into Friday’s second round. He went out in 4-under 32 and had a clean card with six birdies to no bogeys and leads a pack of seven golfers who are tied for third a shot behind him.

“Pretty stress-free,” Riley said. “When I was out of position, I either left myself a pretty simple 2-putt from 40 feet or a pretty simple leave to get up and in. Pretty stress-free day, and hopefully I can continue more of that.”

Neither Riley nor Gordon have won on the PGA Tour during their careers. A first-time winner won the Sanderson Farms Championship from 2014-19.

Put a one on the card x2

Brandon Wu’s tab at his home course of Trinity Forest in Dallas will have a few drinks put on it.

That’s because he recorded his fourth career ace – and first in a professional round – at the par-3 fourth hole. He pulled an 8-iron from 181 yards.

“I took a little bit off. Hit, obviously, a nice shot,” Wu said. “I couldn’t believe that it went in because I was half expecting it to roll off the back. The greens are so…