LOS CABOS, Mexico — Three golfers battled fierce winds to grab a share of the lead at the World Wide Technology Championship, each shooting impressive 5-under 67s on Thursday.
Kevin Streelman, Tom Whitney and Rico Hoey managed to tame the challenging conditions at El Cardonal, the course designed by Tiger Woods.
Name
Events
Top 10
Money
Kevin Streelman
459
53
$27,174,014
For Streelman, 46, it was a particularly sweet start. The veteran golfer, who hasn’t won on tour since 2014, kicked off his afternoon round with an eagle followed by a birdie.
"It’s a tiring golf course," Streelman said, wiping sweat from his brow. "Especially when it blows this hard out here."
Whitney came out firing, nailing birdies on his first three holes.
But even he had to adjust his expectations once the wind picked up. "Starting the day, you’re thinking, ‘I need to get it to 6, 7, 8,’" Whitney explained. "Then the wind starts blowing and you kind of temper those expectations."
Last year’s champion Erik van Rooyen sits just one shot back at 68, tied with six others including Taylor Montgomery and Nate Lashley.
The conditions are drastically different from last year’s tournament.
"There was maybe one club of wind last year," van Rooyen said, highlighting how much tougher the course is playing this time around.
Fresh off his victory in Japan, Colombia’s Nico Echavarria posted a solid 69, managing to keep his card bogey-free despite the morning winds.
The challenging El Cardonal course, with its strategic downwind par-5s on holes 1 and 18, is proving to be a true test of skill and patience as players navigate through what promises to be a wind-swept tournament.
