Streb has missed 4 of his last 6 cuts and shot 80 twice in the last 3 months. He told PGATOUR.com that he finally found his putting stroke last week at THE PLAYERS, and his 65 (-7) on Thursday certainly seems to back that up.
Reed hasn't been that bad but he's been struggling with a hook. That's never good if you want to win but it didn't stop him from posting a 66 (-6) of his own.
Quail Hollow, as Phil Mickelson told GC, is a kinder gentler golf course for those who tend to be a bit wild... and neither player was particularly accurate off the tee. Streb hit only 6 of 14 fairways and while Reed did better, he still only hit 8 of 14. The shorter rough at Quail Hollow certainly helped both men.
But the true tale of the tape came in their GIR stats. Despite missing so many fairways Streb still managed to hit 14 of 18 greens and get some use from that putter. Reed continued to struggle, hitting only 11 of 18 greens, so it was his scrambling that kept him in the hunt on Thursday.
I don't mean to imply that either man is the favorite to win this week. But their first rounds do demonstrate just how wide open this tournament might be by Sunday afternoon. Birdies definitely roost at Quail Hollow.
The trick is avoiding the bogeyman. He's hiding there too.
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