GOLF ROUNDUP

WGC-MEXICO CHAMPIONSHIP

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Rory McIlroy nearly made a hole-in-one on the same short par 4 that Tiger Woods hit his first competitive shot in Mexico out-of-bounds. McIlroy kept right on rolling to an 8-under 63 for a one-shot lead Thursday in the Mexico Championship.

Woods opened with a double bogey and salvaged his round with an even-par 71.

McIlroy’s only setback was trying to hit through the trees and catching one limb that led to a bogey on the par-5 sixth hole near the end of his round. He bounced back with a 20-foot birdie and wound up with a one-shot lead over Dustin Johnson.

Justin Thomas, who lost in a playoff last year to Phil Mickelson, and Matt Kuchar were at 66.

Mickelson opened with a 79.

PGA TOUR

RIO GRANDE, Puerto Rico (AP) — Andres Romero shot a 6-under 66 on Thursday to take the first-round lead in the PGA Tour’s Puerto Rico Open.

Romero birdied three of his last five holes in a bogey-free round at Coco Beach Golf and Country Club. The 37-year-old Argentine player won his lone PGA Tour titles in New Orleans in 2008 and has two European Tour victories.

Austria’s Sepp Straka was a stroke back in the event that was canceled last year because of Hurricane Maria.

Ben Crane was at 68 with Ollie Schniederjans, David Hearn, Roberto Castro, Martin Piller, Roberto Diaz, Joey Garber, Nate Lashley and Alex Kang. Clemson senior Bryson Nimmer topped the group at 69.

Daniel Berger, at No. 72 has the highest world ranking in the field, opened with a 70. D.A. Points, the 2017 winner, shot 71. Puerto Rico’s Rafael Campos, a winner on the Web.com Tour at the start of the year, had a 73.

The winner will receive a two-year exemption on the PGA Tour and an exemption to the PGA Championship, but won’t get an invitation to the Masters.

LPGA TOUR

CHONBURI, Thailand (AP) — Eun-Hee Ji of South Korea led the LPGA Thailand by two shots after opening with a 9-under-par 63 on Thursday.

Ji won her fifth U.S. LPGA Tour title in her previous event last month, the season-opening Tournament of Champions in Florida.

She picked up right where she left off, in Chonburi.

After an opening birdie and a bogey on the third hole, Ji birdied nine out of the following 14 holes on the Siam Country Club Pattaya’s Old Course.

In her wake were Minjee Lee of Australia, Danielle Kang of the United States, and Jenny Shin of South Korea, each with a 65.

“I felt really great. I didn’t miss any fairways and missed just two greens,” Ji said. “I have a lot of confidence.

Lee was bogey free as she eagled the 15th and birdied five holes on a humid day.

“I was little bit slow starting out. I finished with three birdies on the last three holes at the front nine, and got a little bit better momentum,” Lee said.