Solid Kiradech fires 66 for tied fifth at WGC Mexico Championship

The big-hitting Kiradech produced six birdies against a lone bogey at the Club Golf de Chapultepec, thanks to a combination of solid ball striking and putting to trail first round leader Louis Oosthuizen by two strokes in the US$10 million showpiece.

“I kept it more on the greens and fairways, and had more opportunity to putt.  My golf game is in great shape,” said a delighted Kiradech.

Three weeks after lifting a fourth European Tour title in Perth, the world No. 40 is keen to keep his name up on the leaderboard as he bids to improve on his previous best WGC finish of T18 at the 2016 WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play.

With the three-lined Chapultepec course being over 7,000 feet above sea level which results in golf balls flying further, Kiradech believes the key to his solid start was due to his ability to manage his distance control.

“This week is all about distance control. Then, the more greens you hit, you get more chances. Some hole you have to hit in the middle of the greens because it's really difficult to adjust. When it’s hot, the ball travels farther and when it’s in the shade you can drop a couple yards,” said Kiradech, who averaged 1.65 putts per green in regulation.

The 28-year-old, who played in all four rounds at The Honda Classic on the PGA TOUR last week, is pushing hard for a top finish in Mexico to enhance his bid to earn his PGA TOUR card for the first time in his career. 

Oosthuizen fired an eagle and five birdies in a seven-under-par 64 to take the first-round lead.

The 2010 Open champion landed his 230-yard approach shot at the par-five 15th five feet from the pin and rolled in the putt for an eagle that gave him a lead he wouldn't relinquish.

"I'm very confident with my driver at the moment," Oosthuizen said. "I've got a nice little cut going and it's nice to be able to just aim left and swing away."

He was one stroke in front of England's Chris Paisley and American Xander Schauffele, the US PGA Tour's 2017 Rookie of the year.

Paisley, 31, earned his first European Tour title at the BMW SA Open in January. Fifth place finish at Abu Dhabi and Dubai saw him punch his ticket to his first elite World Golf Championships event at the Club de Golf Chapultepec.

Paisley opened with back-to-back birdies and added two more at the fifth and sixth, seizing a share of the lead on five-under with a birdie at the 10th, where he rolled in a 10-footer.

He drained a 40-foot birdie putt from the fringe at 14 and moved to seven-under with a birdie at 15 before giving a stroke back with his lone bogey of the day at 16.

"It's the biggest tournament I've played in by a long stretch," Paisley said. "To play as well as I did and shoot a good score against the world's best players and be right up there, I"m just delighted."

"I didn't want to come here and just be happy to be part of it and just make up the numbers," he said. "I like the course, it kind of suits my strengths. I'm obviously surprised I've gone out and shot six-under and I'm in second place -- that's kind of surpassed my expectations."

Schauffele had six birdies in his 65. He and Paisley were one stroke in front of Spain's Rafael Cabrera Bello and Thailand's Kiradech Aphibarnrat, both in the clubhouse on five-under 66.

India's Shubhankar Sharma, a two-time winner on the European Tour this season who is out to improve from his current 75th in the world to a top 50 spot that would see him into the Masters, was five-under through 16 when play was halted by lightning, with world number two Jon Rahm alone in the clubhouse on four-under 67.

Defending champion Dustin Johnson emerged from a roller-coaster round with a two-under par 69.

The highlight was a near-ace at the 17th, his eighth hole of the day -- where his tee shot spun within inches of the cup.

Johnson finished with six birdies, two bogeys and a double-bogey six at the par-four 14th.