Jeff Overton, Griffin Wood share lead following matching bogey-free rounds of 64 at AdventHealth Championship

Things to know

• Jeff Overton and Griffin Wood share the 18-hole lead following matching bogey-free 8-under 64s.
• In just his second ever Korn Ferry Tour start, Wood earns the first 18-hole lead/co-lead of his career.
• Overton records his lowest round in a PGA TOUR-sanctioned event since returning to competition in 2022.
• Following a runner-up finish at last week’s Myrtle Beach Classic, Alistair Docherty sits one shot off the lead.
• This week marks the 14th playing of the AdventHealth Championship.
• Announced this week, AdventHealth will remain title sponsor of the AdventHealth Championship through 2029.

First-round lead notes

• 2 – First-round leaders/co-leaders to win the AdventHealth Championship (Trevor Cone, 2022; and Cameron Young, 2021)
• 0 – First-round leaders/co-leaders to win on Tour in 2024

Jeff Overton (co-leader/8-under)

• Bogey-free opening round included eight total birdies coming on four par 4s, two par 5s and two par 3s
• Marks his second 18-hole lead/co-lead on the Tour (solo leader at 2023 Magnit Championship, finished T23)
• Opening round 8-under 64 marks the lowest score of his Korn Ferry Tour career
• Making the 28th Korn Ferry Tour start of his career and fourth this season
• Since turning professional in 2005, has made 301 starts on the PGA TOUR
  • Best season on TOUR came in 2010 when he finished No. 29 in the FedExCup standings following six top-10 finishes in 26 starts, including three as runner-up
  • In his career, has 32 top-10 finishes on TOUR
• Member of the United States team at the 2010 Ryder Cup
• Overton returned to competitive golf in 2022 following complications from back surgery in 2017
• Played collegiately at Indiana University, where he was the 2004-05 Big Ten Conference Player of the Year and the 2005 Big Ten Championship individual medalist
• Plays from Evansville, Indiana

Griffin Wood (co-leader/8-under)

• In his second career start on the Korn Ferry Tour, clinches his second lead/co-lead after any round (36-hole solo leader at last month’s Veritex Bank Championship)
• Bogey-free 8-under 64 was made up of eight total birdies coming on six par 4s and two par 5s
• Three weeks ago at the Veritex Bank Championship, Wood earned a start as an open qualifier
  • Wood held the outright 36-hole lead after tying the second-lowest 36-hole score in Korn Ferry Tour history (64-60 – 124)
  • Finished T16, earning him a start in this week’s AdventHealth Championship via the top-25 finish
• Made six starts on PGA TOUR Canada in 2022, tallying two made cuts (best finish: T40/Quebec Open)
• Does not currently have status on any PGA TOUR-sanctioned tour
• Turned professional in 2012 after playing four seasons at Evansville University (2008-12)
  • Finished his collegiate career ranked second in program history in career scoring average (75.00)
• Plays from Phoenix, Arizona

Quotables

• Jeff Overton on his lowest round of the season:“I've been hitting the ball extremely well, playing at a very high level. It just has been ever so slightly off here and there on a couple holes just from lack of playing a little bit, not controlling my emotions when we do hit bad shots. Just kind of today, I was able to not do that kind of stuff. I had a lot of really good scores in some Monday qualifiers, but I haven't had just the flow to get it into these tournament rounds. It's good to finally get one in and not be completely out of the tournament after the first day.”
• Griffin Wood on what was working best in his first-round 64: “I putted really well. Greens are perfect. They remind me of where I'm from in southern Indiana, the bentgrass greens. So comfortable, I did everything well. My driver was a little off here and there, but the good ones I hit were perfect. I parred both of the par 5s on my back nine, the front, so usually when you do that, you don't shoot 8-under. So it was kind of a weird, different round.”
• Griffin Wood on the confidence boost from his recent top-25 finish: “As long as I can handle it, I know that I can do it now. As long as I approach it properly mentally, I feel like I can contend and should be out here. But it's just a matter of capitalizing on opportunities and that's the hardest part is, coming into this week, was keeping it, not making too big a deal of it.”

Notes

• In his first start of the Korn Ferry Tour season, Vince Whaley (T3/7-under) carded a first-round 7-under 65 via eight birdies against one bogey
  • Whaley has made 12 PGA TOUR starts this season, including two top-25 finishes (T18/Puerto Rico Open, T23/Corales Puntacana Championship)
  • Currently No. 159 in the FedExCup Standings
  • Has 131 total starts across the PGA TOUR and Korn Ferry Tour since turning professional in 2017
• Alistair Docherty (T3/7-under) carded eight birdies against one bogey for a first-round 7-under 65, tying the second-lowest round of his Korn Ferry Tour career (best: 64/R2/BMW Charity Pro-Am presented by TD SYNNEX)
  • Opened the first round with a 6-under 30 on the front nine at Blue Hills Country Club
  • Entered the week fresh off the a runner-up finish at the Myrtle Beach Classic last weekend on the PGA TOUR, where earned the start as a sponsor exemption
  • Clinches the best 18-hole position of his Korn Ferry Tour career (40 total starts)