Out of the late wave and beginning on 10 tee, World No. 277 Richy Werenski painted a bogey-free 6-under 33-32=65 in R1 of the Valspar Championship to sit T5, one short of four co-leaders.
This is the 30-year-old’s fifth appearance, missing his prior four cuts, and before today, was a cumulative 23-over at the Copperhead Course while his best rounds were 70 (x2). It’s his first time in the top 10 after R1 since the 2020 3M Open 48 starts ago, where he was the 18-hole leader (and a 36-hole and 54-hole co-leader) before finishing T3 (63-67-68-70). On eight (of 13) fairways and 13 greens in regulation, the South Florida resident lost 0.348 strokes around but gained 0.423 off-the-tee, 1.186 approaching and 3.649 with the flat stick. He penciled six birdies at 10, 14, 17, 1, 5 and 9, two from between 10 and 26 feet, and also saved par two times from between eight and 10 feet. The Georgia Tech alum checked in off seven missed cuts in his last eight, interrupted only by a T28 at the opposite-field Puerto Rico Open two starts ago, where he was T14 after R1 (69-71-69-71).