Taylor Pendrith matches career-best 61 to lead Las Vegas by 3 shots

LAS VEGAS — Taylor Pendrith took two weeks off after the Presidents Cup and didn’t miss a beat, matching his career-low on the PGA Tour with a 10-under 61 that gave him a three-shot lead in the Shriners Children’s Open on Thursday.

Pendrith missed only one fairway and one green at the TPC Summerlin, both on the same hole. The Canadian pulled his tee shot on the 18th hole — his ninth — had to pitch out sideways, hit wedge to 7 feet and saved his par.

The rest was a steady diet of big drives, a lot of wedges and good putting. His only disappointment was the par-5 ninth, his final hole. He had only 200 yards into the green and knew an eagle would give him a 59.

“Tried to be aggressive and hit a good shot and just didn’t catch all of it, and came up short right in the bunker,” Pendrith said.

He blasted out to 12 feet and missed the putt, along with a chance to tie the course record at Summerlin last set by Rod Pampling in 2017.

Pendrith also shot a 61 in the Bermuda Championship three years ago.

Bud Cauley and Matti Schmid were among 10 players at 7-under 64. The first round was suspended by darkness, the second straight week the opening round could not be completed despite no weather delays. Seven players did not finish.

Pendrith had the advantage of playing in the morning, before the wind began to increase. The forecast is for the strongest wind on Friday, upward of 20 mph.

Tom Kim, the two-time defending champion, had to make five birdies over the last 11 holes to scratch out a 69. That leaves him eight shots behind in his bid to become the first player since Steve Stricker at the John Deere Classic (2009-11) to win the same PGA Tour event three straight times.

Matt McCarty, the Korn Ferry Tour grad who won the inaugural Black Desert Championship in Utah last week, failed to birdie any of the three par 5s and shot 71.

Schmid was coming off a 62 in the final round in Utah to finish fifth, moving him off the bubble at No. 120 to No. 105 in the FedEx Cup Fall. A big part of this stretch of the PGA Tour is for players to finish in the top 125 to secure a full card for 2025.

Pendrith knows that feeling.

He was at No. 123 in the FedEx Cup last year when he came to Las Vegas, and he tied for third to effectively sew up his card for the following season. He went on to win in Dallas at the CJ Cup Byron Nelson for his first PGA Tour title, and he made it to the Tour Championship.

“I know it’s an important time of year for a lot of guys and I’ve been there for sure,” Pendrith said. “It’s stressful. But it’s a different feeling for me, obviously already locked up for next year. It’s a different feeling I guess out there playing. But I really enjoy this place.”

Pendrith also was picked for the Presidents Cup at Royal Montreal, posting a 2/3 record and going 2-1 in team play alongside Adam Scott. The plan was to take a short break, but that changed when Hurricane Milton cut across Florida.

“I think I played maybe three times since the Presidents Cup, and then was planning on practicing and everything was closed,” Pendrith said. His coach joined him in Las Vegas for some quality work early in the week.

“I feel rested and excited to play,” Pendrith said. “I didn’t really expect a 10 under, I would say. I thought I would be a little bit more rusty than that. Obviously, thrilled, just got to keep getting back into the rhythm of things and the next few days.”