SHANE LOWRY closed with a frustrating three-putt bogey before giving new Ryder Cup skipper Henrik Stenson a resounding vote of confidence at the Valspar Championship in Florida.

The in-form Offaly man birdied three of the four par-fives and added a birdie two at the fourth against a bogey at the short eighth to before three-putting the 18th from 42 feet for a two-under 69.

He was tied 50th, five shots behind defending champion Sam Burns, who shot a seven-under 64 to share the lead with David Lipsky, Colombia’s Jhonattan Vegas and Canadian Adam Hadwin at Innisbrook,s Copperhead Course.

Scores

He was tied 50th, five shots behind defending champion Sam Burns, who shot a seven-under 64 to share the clubhouse lead with David Lipsky, Colombia's Jhonattan Vegas and Canadian Adam Hadwin.

The leading quartet was a shot ahead of Danny Lee, Scott Stallings and Richy Werekski as Collin Morikawa shot 68 and Viktor Hovland a 69 in their battle to replace Jon Rahm as world number one.

Morikawa will become number one if he finishes solo second or in a two-way or three-way tie for second, always assuming Hovland doesn't win.

“It’s great to have Henrik as captain as he’s an absolute legend of European golf,” said Lowry, who played alongside the Swede and fellow Irishman Graeme McDowell, who missed 10 greens and shot 73.

“I was saying to him out there today it's just great news Henrik has been appointed the new European captain and being part of the last team, I’m determined to be a part of his team next year.

“We’ve got home advantage next year and I’ve only ever played in the one Ryder Cup and that being last year at Whistling Straits, so I don’t even know what it will be like playing at home.

“It will be nice though to see a number of younger European players hopefully make Henrik’s team, and hopefully we can challenge well and win back the Ryder Cup.”

Stenson had to settle for a 70, which was two strokes worse than Luke Donald, who lost out to the Swede for the job in Rome.

"I thought I had a chance this time, but it wasn't to be," Donald told Golfweek. "Hopefully, that's not my chance gone. We have a lot of very worthy candidates, legends of the Ryder Cup, guys like Sergio. I don't know how this whole Saudi thing is going to play out and if anyone is going to get knocked out because of that."

First-Round Leaderboard

Jhonattan Vegas                64 (-7)

Sam Burns                          64 (-7)

Adam Hadwin                    64 (-7)

David Lipsky                       64 (-7)

Four players                       65 (-6)

 

Things to Know

• Four players share the first-round lead, tying the most in Valspar Championship history (2014)

• At T1, Sam Burns holds the best first-round position by a defending champion in Valspar Championship history

• Burns becomes the second defending champion to hold the first-round lead/co-lead in a TOUR event this season (Kevin Na, Sony Open in Hawaii)

• Co-leaders Burns (2021) and Adam Hadwin (2017) seek to become the fourth multiple winners of the event

• Records with the 18-hole lead/co-lead: Jhonattan Vegas (0-for-5 to date), Burns (0-2); marks the first time Hadwin and David Lipsky have held the first-round lead/co-lead

• K.J. Choi (2002) is the only first-round leader/co-leader to go on to victory at the Valspar Championship

• Dustin Johnson opens with a 4-under 67 in his 300th PGA TOUR start

• Lee Hodges becomes the first player during the Shotlink era to birdie the first five holes of a round at the event

• 89 players post under-par scores in round one, a Valspar Championship record (76/2012)

 

First-Round Lead Notes

1            First-round leaders/co-leaders to win the Valspar Championship (K.J. Choi, 2002)

3            First-round leaders/co-leaders to win on TOUR in 2021-22 (most recent: Joaquin Niemann, The Genesis Invitational)

 

Jhonattan Vegas (T1/-7)

• Holds the first-round lead/co-lead for the sixth time in his career (0-for-5 to date); most recently finished T2 after sharing the first-round lead at the 2021 3M Open

• Opening-round 64 falls one stroke shy of his best opening round on TOUR (63/2011 Shriners Children’s Open/finished T5)

• In search of his first top-10 finish since the 2021 3M Open (T2)

• Seeks fourth PGA TOUR title (2011 American Express, 2016 & 2017 RBC Canadian Open)

• Finished T48 in 2021 for his only made cut in three prior appearances at the Valspar Championship

 

Sam Burns (T1/-7)

• At T1, holds the best first-round position by a defending champion in Valspar Championship history (Retief Goosen/2010/T2)

• Becomes the second defending champion to hold the first-round lead/co-lead in a TOUR event this season (Kevin Na, Sony Open in Hawaii)

• Holds the first-round lead/co-lead for the third time in his career (0-for-2 to date); most recently finished eighth at the 2021 BMW Championship after sharing the first-round lead

• With a 64, equals his best opening-round score on TOUR in an individual stroke-play event (fifth instance)

• Seeks to join Paul Casey (2019) as the only players to successfully defend a title at the Valspar Championship

• Would become the fourth player to win multiple times at the event (K.J. Choi, Retief Goosen, Paul Casey)

• Would become the fourth multiple winner of the season (Hideki Matsuyama, Scottie Scheffler, Cameron Smith)

• In search of third PGA TOUR title (2021 Valspar Championship, 2021 Sanderson Farms Championship)

 

Adam Hadwin (T1/-7)

• 2017 champion would become the event’s fourth multiple winner (K.J. Choi, Retief Goosen, Paul Casey)

• Holds the first-round lead/co-lead for the first time on TOUR; has been solo-second or T2 six times following the first round, most recently at the 2022 Waste Management Phoenix Open (finished T26)

• Making his 126th start since his first win at the 2017 Valspar Championship

• Would become the first player to win his first two PGA TOUR titles at the same event since Robert Streb at the 2014 and 2020 RSM Classic

 

David Lipsky (T1/-7)

• In addition to John Huston’s victory in the inaugural Valspar Championship in 2000, two players have won the event in their debut appearance (Retief Goosen/2003, Gary Woodland/2011)

• Has two top-10 finishes in 31 TOUR starts (T8/2021 Palmetto Championship at Congaree, T10/2019 WGC-Mexico Championship)

• Holds the first-round lead/co-lead for the first time on TOUR; previous-best position after 18 holes is T7, set on two occasions and most recently at the 2022 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am (finished T24)

 

Additional Player Notes

• Justin Thomas (T9) opens with a 5-under 66, highlighted by a 64’3” eagle putt on the par-5 14th, the third longest made putt of his career

• Making his 300th start on the PGA TOUR, Dustin Johnson (T12) opens with a 4-under 67

• Making his first start at the Valspar Championship since missing the cut in 2014, Brooks Koepka (T12) records a bogey-free 67

• With birdies on Nos. 10-14, Lee Hodges (T50) becomes the first player during the Shotlink era to birdie the first five holes of a round at the Valspar Championship; posts 2-under 69

• 2016 champion Charl Schwartzel (T137) holed out for eagle from 194 yards on the par-4 16th hole; the only other eagle on No. 16 in tournament history was turned in by Shawn Stefani (R1/2019)