Happiness, Herbert walks warm

Curtis Luck started 64 in California today. Image: Getty

Curtis Luck started his 2019 thrust on the American PGA Tour with a scintillation of 64 in California, and over the ditch Lucas Herbert caught fire in the European Tour tournament in Abu Dhabi.

It was a big day for a few young lions of the Australian wave today.

The happiness of Perth, 22, had missed three consecutive parts for Christmas. But the break did him good; he had three consecutive birdies at the front nine and eight for the day in a bogey-free 64 on the LaQuinta track who might have seen him in the lead in other circumstances in the Desert Classic.

As it happened, veteran Phil Mickelson did everything including chip-ins to make a remarkable opening round of 60 with four shots.

While playing his first season as a full member, Luck comes out of a fantastic amateur career and is the third.

Herbert started his 2019 European Tour campaign on Wednesday with a 71. But on Thursday he was the & # 39; Herby & # 39; from 2018, when he started the year without a right to play only to win his European Tour card. He shot a 65 in the second round with eight birdies and a bogey to float in a ninth-eight-bottom share.

Just 23, Herbert is four shots behind the leader, the Irish Shane Lowry.

Western Australian Jason Scrivener also scored 65 to be in the mix. But fellow WA professor, Minwoo Lee, could not take advantage of his invitation to make his first professional start by shooting 72-71 and missing the cut.

The HSBC championship in Abu Dhabi has a prize money of $ US7 million and the field includes Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka and Tommy Fleetwood.

At the Singapore Open of the Asian Tour, another young Australian is prominently represented. New South Wales professional Travis Smyth began with a 68 in tricky conditions to be within two shots after the first round.