Min Woo and Baddeley make promising start in PGA tournament

Lipsky is one point ahead of Scot Martin Laird and Patton Kizzire, while Mark Hubbard, Kevin Dougherty, Wilson Furr, Kevin Streelman and Joel Dahmen are in third place (five under par).

The Procore Championship is the first of eight events on the PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup Fall schedule, which will help determine players’ eligibility for the 2025 season.

Players must finish the fall in the top 125 of the standings to retain their Tour card. Finishing between No. 126-150 gives players conditional status next year.

Lee and Baddeley are tied for ninth in the tournament. Baddeley had six birdies mixed with two bogeys, while West Australian Lee had five birdies with his only blemish coming on the par-four sixth.

Baddeley is currently ranked 152nd and fighting for his card, while Lee sits comfortably at 60th.

One stroke behind them is compatriot Jeffrey Guan, who is in joint 22nd place.

Lipsky could use all the help he can get, as he started the week ranked No. 163 on the list.

After making most of his birdie putts from inside 10 feet, he made a 12-foot putt on the par-5 18th hole to move to seven under par.

Hubbard has had a memorable week so far, and not necessarily for the right reasons. He fully qualified for the Procore Championship, but forgot to register in time, and then decided to try to work his way into the field via Monday qualifying.

He posted a best-of-the-day round on Monday to work his way into the field. On Thursday, he had nine birdies with one bogey — and a triple bogey on the par-3 17th hole, where his tee shot went into the water and he needed five shots to reach the green.

“Golf is impossible,” Hubbard said, according to PGATour.com. “I just accept things a little bit better and I think that carried over into Monday and carried over into my back nine today after that triple.”

Notable names included reigning champion Sahith Theegala and Tom Hoge who opened with a score of 3-under 69, while Wyndham Clark posted a score of 70 and Max Homa a score of 71.

These four players are already assured of participation in next season after finishing in the top 50 of the FedEx Cup.

Theegala and Homa are originally from California and have won the last three tournaments in Napa together.