Last week, Howard University senior Gregory Odom Jr. made his debut on the PGA Tour on a sponsor’s exemption to the Wells Fargo Championship at TPC Potomac. Many golfers have dreamed of playing professionally, but the reality is only a small percentage of golfers ever make it to a PGA Tour field. Even making it to the field is no guarantee as the competition as well as the course are both challenging. Here is an 18-hole stroke-by-stroke account, along with course description and how Odom played his opening round.
Hole No.1 Nickname “Mike Tyson” (Lands a knockout blow to your round if you are not ready)
-Drive went 259 yards slightly right, near cart path
-Middle iron 164 yards to left rough to 33’
-Chip to 6 ft.
– Par putt burned the edge
-Sank bogey putt
-Drive 275 to right center of fairway
-Middle iron layup travels 207 yards
-Wedge to 15 ft.
-Two-putt for par
-Long iron travels 222 yards to primary left fairway
-Wedge with high loft to 15’
– Missed par put on the high side
-Tap in bogey
-292 yard drive to perfect center of fairway
-Wedge to 18’
-Two putt par
-Tee shot left 272 yards to water
-Hazard stroke
-Middle wedge to 42’
-Putt to 3’
-Bogey putt tap in
-267-yard drive to center of fairway
-Iron travels 192 yards to bunker short of elevated green
– Trap blast to 3’
-Sank par putt
-Drive 277 yards to right center of fairway
-Approach 177 yards to green
-Putt burns the edge
-Tap in par
-Drive 281 yards
-Iron 174 yards to green
-Missed birdie putt to the left
-Tap-in par
-Crisp iron 172 yards with plenty of height to left side of green
-28’ ft putt just misses
-Tap-in par
-Drive 281 yards to right side of fairway
-Long iron to 74 yards out — perfect layup
– Approach iron is short leaves 75’ to hole
-Putt leaves ball 6’ short
-Putt misses to the side
-Bogey tap-in
-Drive 259 yards to right side of fairway
-Long iron 193 yards to 27’
-Lag putt to hole
-Par putt is solid
-Middle iron 163 yards to 45’ from hole
-Lag putt to hole
-Par-saving putt
-Drive 232 yards to left side of fairway
-Wedge approach to 9’
-Sinks birdie putt for first on PGA Tour
-Drive 274 yards to left of sandtrap
-55 yard wedge to 9’
-Lag putt to two feet
– Tap-in par
-Drive 258 yards to right side of fairway
-Long iron 3ravels 22 Odom headline 287 yards to right rough
-Lob wedge leave 15’ to hole
-Par putt misses
Tap-in bogey
-Drive 257 yards to right side of fairway
-Middle iron approach travels 148 yards to 21’
-Birdie putt misses
-Simple tap-in par
-Iron travels 202 yards, rolls over the green to fringe 45 yards from hole
-Wedge to 12’
-Par putt is long
-Bogey putt rims out
-Double-bogey finish
-Drive 295 yards to center of fairway
-Approach is 172 yards to 27’
-Unexpected break leaves putt 6’
-Par putt rolls by
-Tap-in bogey to conclude round
