The World Golf Championships-Cadillac Championship boasts one of the strongest fields on the PGA Tour. J.B. Holmes blew past them all.
Holmes shot a tournament record-tying 10-under 62 on Thursday and held a four-shot lead after the first round in Doral, Fla., outside Miami. He started his day 4 under through three holes, and never looked back.
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Holmes matched the round carded by Bubba Watson at Doral in 2012, and by Sergio Garcia and Retief Goosen in 2002 when the Cadillac Championship was held in Ireland.
On a day that saw numerous balls enter Doral's water hazards, Holmes kept his ball in play and turned in a bogey-free round.
"I was able to hit the shots where I envisioned and hit good shots, and today the putter was on," Holmes told reporters, per The Associated Press. "Put that combination together, you do everything pretty good, you're going to shoot a good score."
Holmes also took satisfaction in taming a course that once was one of his "least favorite tracks" because it was too easy. A course redesign has ramped up the degree of difficulty.
"I felt like for a World Golf Championship, 22 under winning shouldn't really happen," Holmes said, per the AP. "It's (now) a very difficult golf course. I played great today."
Ryan Moore shot a 6-under 66 despite a double-bogey on the 18th hole at Trump National Doral's "Blue Monster" course, which for the most part lived up to its nickname.
Rory McIlroy, the world's No. 1-ranked player, began the day the way he ended last week, struggling to a 4-over 40 on his first nine, which began on the 10th hole. He regained the form expected from the 25-year-old Northern Irishman on the back nine and finished at 1 over.
Adam Scott made his 2015 debut with an unfamiliar putter in the bag. After two years of putting with a long, anchored putter, Scott put a traditional putter back in his bag. He shot a 2-under 70, and if not for Holmes' round would be right in the mix.