David Lipsky grabbed the first-round lead at the Procore Championship by shooting a 7-under-par 65 on Thursday in Napa, Calif.
Lipsky birdied four of his final six holes at the Silverado Resort’s North Course en route to a 5-under 32 on the back nine. He leads Patton Kizzire and Scotland’s Martin Laird by one shot.
Tied for fourth at 5-under 67 among the early finishers were Mark Hubbard, Kevin Dougherty, Wilson Furr, Kevin Streelman and Joel Dahmen.
Thirteen players are tied for ninth place at 4 under.
The Procore Championship is the first of eight events on the PGA Tour’s “FedEx Cup Fall” schedule, which will help determine players’ eligibility for the 2025 season. Players need to finish the fall in the top 125 in the standings in order to keep their tour card. Finishing between Nos. 126-150 gives players conditional status next year.
Lipsky needs all the help he can get, as he started the week No. 163 on the list.
After most of his birdie putts came from inside 10 feet Thursday, Lipsky drained a 12-footer at the par-5 18th to move to 7 under.
“I definitely feel more comfortable out here,” Lipsky, a 36-year-old Los Angeles native, said of playing in his home state. “You know, the general vibe that you get out here. I mean, especially in Napa, with all the good food and great weather, it’s hard to beat.”
He recently spent back at his alma mater, Northwestern, to work with his college coach, and he saw the results on Thursday.
“Sometimes you have to realize golf can be fun and I think I sort of forgot that along the way as I’m grinding it out week in and week out,” Lipsky said. “Sometimes you’ve got to put things in perspective, take a step back. Sort of did that, seems like it’s working out.”
Laird began his day with a bogey on the par-4 10th hole, but he birdied five in a row and six of seven to end the back nine, then added one more birdie on the front nine.
Kizzire carded eight birdies and two bogeys, the last of which at No. 8 knocked him out of a tie for first place.
Hubbard has had a memorable week so far, not necessarily for the right reasons. He was fully qualified for the Procore Championship but forgot to register in time, then decided to attempt to play his way into the field via Monday qualifying.
He posted the best round of the day Monday to push his way into the field. On Thursday, he racked up nine birdies with one bogey — and a triple bogey at the par-3 17th hole, where his tee shot found the water and he used five strokes just to get on the green.
“Golf is impossible,” Hubbard said, according to PGATour.com. “I’m just doing a little bit better job of accepting things and I think that carried over on Monday and then also carried over into my back nine today after that triple.”
Among notable names, Sahith Theegala and Tom Hoge opened with rounds of 3-under 69, Wyndham Clark posted a 2-under 70 and Max Homa shot a 1-under 71. Those four players are already secure for next season after finishing in the FedEx Cup top 50. Theegala and Homa are California natives who have combined to win the past three tournaments in Napa — Theegala prevailing in 2023 and Homa the prior two years.
–Field Level Media
