Rod Pampling fires record-tying round, leads Shriners Open

The birdies kept dropping for Rod Pampling. And as he was finishing his first round of the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open, he was flirting with history.

The 47-year-old Australian had gone to 11 under par with two holes to play Thursday at TPC Summerlin, where par is 71. The tournament record for a round — 59 by Chip Beck in 1991 at Sunrise Golf Club — was within reach. At worst, Pampling would be near or in the lead.

He didn’t dip below 60, but he kept his spot at the top, taking a two-shot lead over John Huh and Brooks Koepka. Pampling’s 11-under 60 tied the tournament record for 18 holes at TPC Summerlin set in 2013 by J.J. Henry, who shot 60 in the third round.

Defending champion Smylie Kaufman struggled to a par 71.

“To be honest, I wasn’t thinking too much about it,” Pampling said of setting a record. “Obviously, the front nine came around quickly, chipping in, then holing out and bringing the next couple. I got to 5 (under) and 6 (under) pretty quick. We just picked up birdies on the way through.”

Pampling’s round began in a most pedestrian fashion, as he settled for par on the first two holes before making birdie at the 492-yard, par-4 No. 3. By the time he made the turn, he was at 6 under.

Pampling carded two eagles and seven birdies to get him to 11 under. He made eagle at the 421-yard, par-4 No. 6, holing out from 134 yards. He also made eagle at the 541-yard, par-6 16th, hitting his second shot from 233 yards with a 3-iron to within 6 inches, then tapping in.

“I would have loved to have made one more for a 59, but it was just a good solid day all around,” Pampling said.

Pampling had gone back to the Web.com Tour to regain his playing privileges on the PGA Tour.

“I assure you, you don’t want to be out there because it’s hard work,” he said of playing the Web.com circuit. “It’s expensive, and it’s very difficult to get the job done out there. The talent is so deep that you know you have to go low.

“But it felt great to be out there the whole way (Thursday). It certainly makes you hungry, and it wants you to get back out here where I think I belong.”

Pampling last won on the PGA Tour in 2006 at the Bay Hill Invitational, one of his two tour victories. He also won last year on the Web.com Tour at the BMW Charity pro-am.

He believed in his game and was convinced he still could compete with golf’s best.

“I’ve been working hard on my driver,” he said. “My irons have been fantastic the last month and a half. It’s the best I’ve hit my irons throughout my whole career. So it was nice to hit fairways, and then the irons behaved themselves as they had been.”

Pampling had shot 61 in the final round of last year’s Australian Open, and indication his game hadn’t abandoned him.

“It wasn’t that long ago, nine months,” Pampling said.

Huh and Koepka weren’t discouraged by their 62s.

“It’s better than being 11 over,” said Huh, who played without mishap and carded nine birdies. “It’s always nice to have a bogey-free round.”

Koepka, who also had a bogey-free round and finished with birdies at the par-3 No. 8 and the par-5 No. 9, said: “Anytime you’re under 6, 7 or more out here, it’s a good round.”

Pampling will begin his second round at 12:05 p.m. Friday from the 10th tee. He said playing later in the day won’t cause him to change his approach.

“It won’t be that different,” he said. “The greens will be a little bit slower, but it kind of evens itself out. It’s all about just judging the distances for your second shots.”

Contact Steve Carp at scarp@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2913. Follow @stevecarprj on Twitter.