Patrick Welch Shoots Even Par in PGA Tour Debut
Patrick Welch posted an even par 71 in his PGA Tour debut on Thursday afternoon at the Shriners Children’s Open in Las Vegas.
Welch got into the tournament after winning the Southern Highlands Collegiate last March.
Welch is currently tied for 98th and given the scores, will need a really low round on Friday to make the cut.
Statistically, Welch played well from tee to green.
The former Classical star hit 83% of the greens in regulation, and 71% of the fairways, bombing the ball 331 yards off the tee on average.
However, the greens gave him some issues, which one would probably expect in a PGA Tour debut.
Welch lost more than two shots to the field on the greens.
While the greens in regulation stat is obviously a plus, it felt like he gave himself a lot of long putts.
Round Breakdown
Starting on the tenth hole, with the nerves surely firing, Welch put his tee shot in the left bunker, then his second shot in the Greenside bunker.
He would then three-putt for a five from 23 feet.
After two pars on 11 and 12, Welch made his first birdie of the day on the par-5 13th hole.
The Classical grad bombed a 324 yard drive into the rough, second shot to the fairway and third shot to three feet.
However, another bogey came on the par-3 14th hole after Welch’s tee shot found the right rough.
He chipped to 26 feet and two putted for a four.
At this point, he was back to one-over for the round.
A par off 15 then led to a birdie on the par-5 16th hole after a 341 yard drive left him just 197 to the green.
His eagle putt missed but he made the comebacker for birdie.
Welch turned at even par.
Making the turn to the first hole, Welch dropped a 12 foot birdie putt to move to one-under for the tournament.
Welch made pars on the second and third holes, and then again on the fourth hole.
The fourth hole is one that he probably wants back. After a 356 yard bomb off the tee, he had just 81 yards to flag.
He left himself a 19 foot birdie putt, which he missed.
The fifth hole is a par-3 and Welch was on the green in regulation. Albeit 27 feet from the hole.
The putting struggles haunted him again, missing the birdie putt, and then missing the three-foot comebacker for par to make bogey.
Welch had other opportunities coming in, including a seven foot birdie putt on the seventh hole, which he missed by a foot. He made par.
The par-5 ninth hole pretend an opportunity to get under par for the day, but Welch put his tee shot in the bunker on the left.
He was still on in regulation, but again, 24 feet from the hole. He blew the putt four feet by, but made the par putt to close the day.