PACIFIC PALISADES, California-- Colombia's Camilo Villegas rebounded from missed cuts in his last four PGA Tour starts to seize a three-shot lead at the Northern Trust Open on Thursday, while world number one Jordan Spieth made a terrible start.
Villegas soared to the top of the leaderboard with an eight-under-par 63 at Riviera Country Club as Spieth spluttered to a 79 that included eight bogeys and a double on his final hole.
"I've shot in the 80s a couple times on Tour," Spieth told reporters. "In the course of a career, I imagine it's going to happen. Just unfortunate when it actually does.
"It's amazing. I feel really confident about where my game is, and I had a great range session. There was nothing pinpointed that was wrong," added Spieth, who tied for fourth last year.
"I just played really poorly from good positions off the tee and didn't strike the iron shots bad either. I just overdrew it when you can't be left and I overcut it when you can't be right. Just bad timing."
The Masters and U.S. Open winner said he had struggled adapting to a Riviera layout that had run firm and fast earlier in the week before being softened by overnight rain.
"I found it very difficult to trust the way the golf course is playing," the 22-year-old explained. "I've never played the golf course soft.
"I've always played where you have to kind of float it on to the front of the greens and let it bounce, and I just never trusted the adjustment."
While Spieth sunk like a stone to near the bottom of the leaderboard, Villegas seized control with a storming back nine highlighted by four consecutive birdies before he ran up his only bogey of the day on his final hole.
The Colombian's nine-birdie round left him three strokes clear of 2014 champion Bubba Watson, Chez Reavie and Luke List.
World number three Rory McIlroy, making his first PGA Tour start of the year, was a further stroke back with six other players after opening with a 67.
"I felt for the most part I played well," said McIlroy, a four-times major champion.
"Put myself out of position a couple of times but the way the conditions of the golf course were, it didn't punish you as bad as if it would have been as firm as it was the last couple of days.
"I felt like my pace on the greens was good ... and I lag-putted well. All of the things that you need to do around this golf course, I did pretty well today."
