​Rewritten: Louisville, Ky. (AP) — Lucas Glover finished strong with birdies on the last two holes to post a 7-under 63, sharing the opening-round lead Thursday at the ISCO Championship. Glover sits atop a crowded leaderboard at Hurstbourne Country Club, joined by Steven Fisk, Stephan Jaeger, and Troy Merritt. The event, played opposite the Scottish Open, carries PGA Tour and European Tour sanctioning.
Glover capped his afternoon with an 11-foot birdie at the par-3 17th and then buried a 163-yard approach to three feet on the par-4 18th. He opened last week’s John Deere Classic with a 63 as well, ultimately finishing third. “Very similar to last week—the first couple days, I hit it nicely, made a few putts, and didn’t make any bogeys. Always a good way to start,” the 46-year-old Glover said. “First time here at this course. I absolutely love it. Wish we played more like it.”
Pontus Nyholm and Chan Kim were one stroke behind. Nyholm added, “This morning was pretty easy—no wind and pretty soft greens. The course is challenging in itself, but I felt like the hardest part is when it firm’s up; the angles become extremely important.” Patton Kizzire, Adam Svensson, Jeffrey Kang, Jeong Weon Ko, Aaron Wise, and Ben James were another stroke back at 65. Max Homa opened with a 67 after finishing second at the John Deere Classic last week. Jackson Koivun also posted a 67 following a missed cut in his professional debut the previous week. Defending champion William Mouw opened with a 68, while NCAA champion Preston Stout notched a 68 as well. The Oklahoma State senior tied for 15th at the John Deere. The overall winner will earn a spot in the PGA Championship but not the Masters for the coming year.