DETROIT – From going fishing to top of the leaderboard at the Rocket Mortgage Classic.
Peter Kuest, a 25-year-old BYU grad with limited status on the Korn Ferry Tour, shot 8-under 64 at Detroit Golf Club to sit atop the leaderboard after the first round with Taylor Moore, who notched his first PGA Tour title earlier this year.
Kuest was the medalist at Monday’s Qualifier, earning one of the final four spots into the 156-man field. Ranked 789th in the world, Kuest is making his fourth Tour start of the season. He received a sponsor’s exemption into the AT&T Byron Nelson and finished T-14 in May.
On Thursday, he rang the birdie bell six times on the front nine and made just one bogey in posting 64 as he attempts to become the first Monday qualifier to win on the Tour since Corey Conners at the 2021 Valero Texas Open.
Kuest, who grew up in Fresno, California, ranked first in driving distance, averaging 318.6 yards per poke and hit 12 fairways and 15 greens. Asked what he would have been doing had he not made it through qualifying, he said, “Probably fishing back in Utah.”
Here are four more things to know from the first round in the Motor City.
Entering this week, Taylor Moore said his game has been stuck in neutral. More like reverse – he’s missed the cut in his last three starts.
Taylor Moore tees off at the ninth hole during the first round of the 2023 Rocket Mortgage Classic at Detroit Golf Club. (Photo: Junfu Han-USA TODAY Sports)
But that changed on Thursday as he found the right gear and converted eight birdies and no bogeys to share the lead with Kuest. Moore canned his fourth birdie in a five-hole stretch at 17 to tie for the top spot. He had a 17-foot birdie putt at the last, which would have tied the course record, but it slid by on the right. Still, it was a terrific day overall on the greens as he gained nearly four strokes on the field and ranked third in Strokes Gained: Putting.
“With the current state of my game I’ve kind of been stuck in neutral, so this has been really good for me to see,” he said. “I felt like I’ve been really, really close and obviously was just stoked to see some putts go in and post a good number.”
Dylan Wu had a colorful card with lots of shapes and circles.
The 26-year-old former Northwestern grad shot 7-under 65 with an albatross, an eagle, five birdies and three bogeys.
Starting on 10, he began with a ho-hum par and a bogey before he…
..
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at Golfweek…