Jhonattan Vegas reached 8 under, dropped back to 7 under on No. 17,
then birdied No. 18 to take sole possession of the lead. The rookie
from Venezuela now has company from another member of the 2011
rookie Class. With a birdie on the par-5 16th hole, this
week’s Kodak Challenge hole, William McGirt has reached 8
under in what has been a bogey-free opening round thus far. McGirt,
who qualified for the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup in the
last week of the Regular Season, has work to do to retain his full
status on TOUR. He entered the Fall Series at No. 137 on the money
list. Also moving up the leaderboard late in the afternoon was
Charlie Wi. The South Korean birdied five consecutive holes on the
back nine, his opening nine, and went on to post a 7-under 64, tied
for the day’s second best score with early leader Nathan
Green.