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Cabrera Bello, Na share lead at PGA's Wyndham Championship

 
Published Aug. 19, 2016

GREENSBORO, N.C. — Rested after the Rio Olympics, Rafa Cabrera Bello shot 7-under 63 Thursday in the Wyndham Championship for a share of the first-round lead with Kevin Na.

Cabrera Bello eagled the par-5 fifth and closed the bogey-free round with birdie on the par-4 ninth. On Sunday, the 32-year-old Spaniard tied for fifth in Rio.

"Last week was a big adrenaline week," he said. "It was the first time I was really not playing for myself, just playing for my country, and obviously it's a huge honor but also big responsibility. I wanted to do good, and I was pleased with my result."

The four-time European Tour winner is trying to stay in position for a Ryder Cup spot, with more ranking points available in North Carolina than the European event in the Czech Republic.

Na had seven birdies in his bogey-free round in the PGA Tour's final regular-season event. The American tied for eighth last week in the John Deere Classic.

Luke Donald, Brandt Snedeker, Derek Fathauer, New Zealand Olympian Danny Lee and Peter Malnati shot 65. Donald made a hole-in-one on the 16th.

Jim Furyk had 66 in his first round since shooting the first 58 in PGA history two weeks ago in the final round of the Travelers Championship.

The top 125 in the FedEx Cup standings will qualify for The Barclays next week at Bethpage Black. It the next-to-last chance to earn Ryder Cup points, with the top eight players determined after the Barclays. Davis Love will make his first three captain's picks Sept. 11 after the BMW Championship. The final pick comes two weeks later after the Tour Championship.

U.S. AMATEUR: Michigan sophomore Nick Carlson won two matches on the 19th hole at Oakland Hills to advance to the quarterfinals in Bloomfield Hills, Mich. Carlson beat British Amateur champion Scott Gregory in the morning round of 32 and topped Thailand's KK Limbhasut in the afternoon round of 16. Carlson faces Illinois junior Dylan Meyer on Saturday. In the other upper-bracket quarterfinal, Pepperdine's Sahith Theegala faces Australia's Curtis Luck. In the other quarters, USC's Jonah Texeira plays LSU's Luis Gagne of Orlando, and former Stanford player David Boote faces Oklahoma's Brad Dalke. Gagne topped Virginia senior Jimmy Stanger of Tampa, a former Gaither High standout, 3 and 1.