LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — Lucas Glover called it "fair." Steven Fisk called it one of his favorite stops on the schedule. Troy Merritt barely had time to see it before he teed off. Stephan Jaeger had never played it until this week.
By Thursday evening, all four had solved Hurstbourne Country Club equally well.
Glover, Fisk, Jaeger and Merritt each shot 7-under 63 to share the first-round lead at the ISCO Championship, taking advantage of softened greens and calm conditions to produce a crowded leaderboard that looked far different than the one that emerged a year ago.
Five more players finished within a stroke of the lead, another seven were two back, and Louisville native Cooper Musselman remained well within striking distance after a 4-under 66 left him tied for 13th.
"I just love playing golf," said Glover, the 2009 U.S. Open champion, whose bogey-free 63 extended his streak to eight consecutive rounds in the 60s. "First time here at this course. Absolutely love it. Wish we played more like it, to be fair."
The course gave players a much different examination than it did last July.
After weeks of dry weather baked Hurstbourne into one of the firmer venues on the PGA Tour schedule in 2025, heavy rain leading into this week's tournament softened greens and encouraged aggressive approach shots. The scoring reflected it. The field averaged 69.17, nearly a stroke under par, with both par-5s yielding six eagles apiece.
"I've heard that last year it was playing super firm," Jaeger said. "With the weather we won't probably get there. It suits my eye, it fits my game pretty well. ... I made some putts. Obviously, you've got to make some putts to shoot 7 under."
No one's round unfolded quite like Fisk's.
The Georgia native opened with a bogey before reeling off five consecutive birdies, eventually posting the lowest round of his PGA TOUR career.
"I can't remember the last time I made five straight birdies," Fisk said. "It was something that doesn't happen very often, so very appreciated."
Merritt's day was perhaps even more unexpected.
Delayed travel prevented him from seeing the course until tournament morning. He estimated he had only about 15 or 20 minutes of preparation all week before posting his 63.
"Sometimes you play your most freeing golf when you haven't seen the holes," Merritt said. "That's what happened today."
Glover's round may have been the steadiest of the group. He hit 17 of 18 greens in regulation and said he'd discovered something in his swing before last week's John Deere Classic that has carried into Louisville.
"I've been hitting it good for a couple weeks," Glover said. "I found a little something Sunday morning in Hartford before I played and took it to the Deere and brought it here, and it just seems to be clicking."
While the veterans occupied the top of the leaderboard, Musselman gave local fans a reason to linger.
The St. Xavier graduate and former Kentucky golfer overcame a slow start with an eagle and a pair of closing birdies, finishing four shots off the lead.
"I love having a home game," Musselman said. "I get to sleep in my own bed, which is always unique in golf. ... Love hearing the 'Go Tigers,' 'Go Cards,' 'Go Cats.'"
The leaderboard remains crowded enough that almost everyone who went low Thursday expects movement over the next three days.
Which is exactly how Glover likes it.
"The conditions determine what the scores are going to be," he said. "That's the way it should be."
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