Four players share early lead at Chitimacha Louisiana Open presented by MISTRAS

BROUSSARD, Louisiana – A quartet of players stood atop the leaderboard at 6-under par after a partially-completed first round at the Chitimacha Louisiana Open presented by MISTRAS. Thursday’s round began an hour and 10 minutes later than scheduled due to fog, and play was suspended due to darkness at 7:20 p.m. CT.

Peter Uihlein, Shad Tuten, Mark Hubbard, and Braden Thornberry all carded 6-under 65s at Le Triomphe Golf and Country Club, with Hubbard and Thornberry signing two of the 10 bogey-free scorecards posted thus far. Upon the suspension of play, the quartet held a one-stroke lead over 10 players, including Louisiana State University alum Ben Taylor, who shot a bogey-free 5-under 66.

Uihlein ended the day in a familiar position, as he stood T1 after the first round of last year’s Chitimacha Louisiana Open presented by MISTRAS. Uihlein also co-led after 36 holes and eventually finished one stroke behind Roberto Díaz last March.

Thursday morning, Uihlein was in the first group off No. 1, one of three par 5s on the front nine. The Oklahoma State University alum and Jupiter, Florida resident played those par 5s at 4-under par with a birdie at No. 1, eagle at No. 5, and a birdie at No. 7. Uihlein also birdied Nos. 8 and 9 for a string of three in a row, but bogeyed the par-4 10th. A birdie at the par-5 12th followed by six consecutive pars took Uihlein to 6-under par.

“That was my goal, to play the par 5s better,” said Uihlein, a 2021 Korn Ferry Tour Finals graduate who has played predominantly on the PGA TOUR this season. “I hadn’t been playing par 5s really well on TOUR this year.”

Tuten made a field-leading eight birdies in his opening round. A 29-year-old native of Augusta, Georgia in his second Korn Ferry Tour season, Tuten began the day with a par at No. 10 and followed it with three consecutive birdies. A bogey at the par-4 14th and birdie at the par-4 17th kept Tuten at 3-under par through his opening nine holes. Tuten began the front nine with a birdie-bogey-birdie stretch, after which he birdied the par-5 fifth and par-4 ninth.

With two top-25s already this season, Tuten felt confident with most of his game as the Korn Ferry Tour returned from a three-week break in the schedule Thursday. The Naples, Florida resident enjoyed some rest and relaxation, but also sharpened his game during the downtime.

“I’d be lying if I said I didn’t take eight days off and put my feet up and enjoyed a beer or two, but I got to work and reset some things with the putter, and it’s working,” said Tuten, who played this event (but missed the cut) last year amid his rookie season. “Last year was really bad weather and I got a bad draw, but I really like the course, I love the greens, and I’m looking forward to the rest of the week for sure.”

Thornberry was the only member of the four-way tie atop the leaderboard who teed off in the afternoon. The 24-year-old University of Mississippi alum birdied Nos. 4, 5, 6, 8, 11, and 17 en route to his bogey-free round.

Thornberry is in his second consecutive season as a fully exempt member, as he was co-medalist at Final Stage of the 2019 Korn Ferry Tour Qualifying Tournament and finished inside the top 75 on the 2020-21 Korn Ferry Tour Regular Season Points List. Thornberry barely missed out on a PGA TOUR card at the 2021 Korn Ferry Tour Finals as well, finishing 28th in points across the three events.

In Thornberry’s debut start at this event last season, he finished T8 and carded an 8-under 63 in the second round.

“I know people talk about horses for courses,” Thornberry said. “Some courses it seems like when you play well you’re toward the top of the leaderboard, and sometimes you’re fighting to make the cut. This is one of those places I feel like if I play my game and am really clicking, I’m looking good on the leaderboard.”

Hubbard, who plays out of the “Nos. 126-150 in 2020-21 FedExCup Standings” category on the PGA TOUR, opened with back-to-back birdies at Nos. 1 and 2, and chipped in for another at the par-4 fourth.

“I got lucky,” Hubbard said. “I had a good lie around the green which you don’t always get out here. I let a few go on the par 5s after that.”

Hubbard did capitalize on the only par 5 on the back nine, though, as he birdied No. 12. The Denver, Colorado native’s other birdies came at the par-4 10th and 17th.

While eight of Hubbard’s nine starts this season came on the PGA TOUR, his only Korn Ferry Tour start resulted in a T6 at the LECOM Suncoast Classic three weeks ago. Hubbard’s PGA TOUR highlights this season include a 15th at The Honda Classic last month, and a T16 at the Fortinet Championship last September.

“I’m going to be primarily playing on the PGA TOUR, but to have a full season I need to play out here too, so I’m coming out here and trying to win and get into that (top) 25 because that’s a way to get your (PGA TOUR) card,” said Hubbard, a 2019 Korn Ferry Tour graduate. “A share of the lead after Thursday doesn’t really mean much, but especially out on this Tour. Everyone’s so good and takes it so deep that you’ve just got to try to make as many birdies as you can for all 72 holes.”

The first round will resume at 8:20 a.m. and second-round tee times will be delayed by one hour, with revised times running from 8:20 a.m. through 3:10 p.m.