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SPORTS Friday 28 February 2020

Lewis, English ride exemptions to early Honda Classic lead

By TIM REYNOLDS do," English said. that," Westwood said. "Ev- amateur Englishman was a so low that you couldn't get
AP Sports Writer It was a rare easy-looking erybody who's out here is surprise co-leader after the any lower," Lewis said. "So it
PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. shot at PGA National. The in a privileged position with opening round of the Brit- was like, 'Well, only good
(AP) — Sponsor exemptions average score was just a nothing to lose. We should ish Open. He played that things can happen now.'"
are basically free-play gifts Good things happened in
handed out by the people bunches Thursday, when
in charge of golf tourna- Lewis had a bogey-free
ments, a handful of invita- round.
tions available most weeks "It can just happen," Lewis
to those who wouldn't have said, a few minutes before
otherwise qualified for an he sat in relative anonym-
event. ity inside the resort's hotel
Tom Lewis and Harris English lobby and had lunch while
were among the recipients fans walked by mostly
for The Honda Classic. oblivious to the fact that
They made the most of they were passing a co-
those chances Thursday. leader.
Lewis and English each shot "Just one shot, one putt
4-under 66 at PGA National, at the right time or good
sharing the lead after the break and then all of a sud-
opening round. Lee West- den it can snowball. I need
wood — also in the field to take a lot of belief from
thanks to a sponsor exemp- today."
tion — was a shot back with Plenty of others weren't as
Zach Johnson, J.T. Poston, chipper as Lewis and Eng-
Brian Stuard and Cameron lish were when their days at
Tringale. PGA National was over.
"I didn't hit it my best, but I Third-ranked Brooks Koep-
knew it was going to be one ka, in his hometown tourna-
of those rounds you're go- ment, made a triple bogey
ing to have to grind it out," and a double bogey in a
said English, a two-time four-hole span on the front
winner on the PGA Tour in Harris English lines up a putt on the eighth hole during the first round of the Honda Classic golf side on his way to a 74.
2013, but winless since. "It's tournament, Thursday, Feb. 27, 2020, in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. "Didn't feel like I played that
windy out there, you're go- Associated Press bad," Koepka said.
ing to have a lot of cross- Defending champion Keith
winds, and it played really Mitchell finished birdie-bird-
tough. My short game was smidge below 2 over, on a all be having fun. But at the opening round with Tom ie and still shot 75. Rickie
on point, and I made some day where wind gusts often age of nearly 47 it seems Watson, the five-time British Fowler, who won the Hon-
really good putts." topped 20 mph. even easier. I don't play Open winner who happens da in 2017 and tied for sec-
Sometimes, no putt was "It's just live and survive, ba- anywhere I don't want to to be Lewis' namesake and ond with Koepka last year,
required: English holed sically," said Matthew Ne- play. I just play great tour- his father's favorite player. made one birdie all day
out from about 25 yards Smith, who had a hole-in- naments and the ones I He wound up as the Euro- and shot 76.
on the par-4 11th, catch- one on the par-3 fifth. want to play in, and I set pean Tour's rookie of the "It's a fine line," Fowler said.
ing a great lie after a drop Westwood hit 11 of 14 fair- my own schedule, and it's year that season. "Just got it going in the
because his second shot ways and was thoroughly just great fun." Not much has gone right wrong direction."
came to rest on a sprinkler pleased with how the day Lewis made his splashy en- since. That happens at PGA Na-
head. went. trance into golf headlines "I struggled for a while, and tional. Only 22 of the 144
"That was as good as I can "Everybody should play like in 2011, when the then- then I think really things got players broke par.q