Peter Malnati at his first PGA Tour win (Photo by Tate Nations)
Peter Malnati shot a career-best 9-under 61 to set a tournament record in the first round of the Rocket Classic and take a two-shot lead.
He opened with a 7-under 28 on the front nine and added two birdies on the back, surpassing Jake Knapp’s 62 tournament record from the second round of the 2025 Rocket Classic.
It was also the lowest first-round score by any player on the Tour this season. Nine players recorded first-round 62s this season, with only one player converting the early lead into victory, Justin Rose at the Farmers Insurance Open.
With thoughts of a sub-60 round crossing his mind, he made a 55-foot putt for birdie at No. 11 and was nine under through 13 holes before missing some putts down the stretch in a bogey-free round.
The two time PGA Tour winner, holds a two stroke lead over 2023 champion Rickie Fowler and Ryan Gerard, who carded five birdies in his final six holes.
Patrick Fishburncards his low round of the season with a 64, a further stroke behind with Patrick Cantlay, who is seeking his first title since the 2022 BMW Championship.
Michael Brennan (T6/-5) recorded eight consecutive birdies on Nos. 5-12, the longest birdie streak on TOUR this season and one shy of tying the all-time PGA Tour record.
Some of the top players in the field, though, did not get off to a good start. Cameron Young, the No. 3 player in the world, shot a 1-under 69 and U.S. Open champion Wyndham Clark was 1 over.
Two-time champion Cam Davis is T47 with a two-under round, while defending champion Aldrich Potgieterlooks out of contention with a six-over round.
First-Round Leaderboard
| Pos. | Player | R1 |
| 1 | Peter Malnati | 61 (-9) |
| T2 | Rickie Fowler | 63 (-7) |
| T2 | Ryan Gerard | 63 (-7) |
| T4 | Patrick Fishburn | 64 (-6) |
| T4 | Patrick Cantlay | 64 (-6) |
