Finau and Pendrith share lead at Rocket Mortgage

Coming off a win Sunday at the 3M Open, Tony Finau stayed in stellar form and shot an 8-under-par 64 to tie Canada's Taylor Pendrith for the first-round lead at the Rocket Mortgage Classic in Detroit.

Finau and Pendrith were one shot shy of tying the course record at Detroit Golf Club. They hold a two-shot edge over five golfers tied for third at6-under 66: Michael Thompson, Webb Simpson, Cameron Champ, Lee Hodges and England's Matt Wallace.

Finau hit all 18 greens in regulation, carded eight birdies and stayed bogey-free.

"The ball-striking was nice today," Finau said. "I guess I hit every green, which I wasn't aware of until after my round. First time in my career, so that was nice. I had a look every single hole for birdie and was able to pop a few in."

Finau snapped a 5 1/2-year drought between PGA Tour wins when he won The Northern Trust last August. Last week's come-from-behind win at the 3M Open marked his third career title.

According to the PGA Tour, Finau is the first player since Dustin Johnson in2018 to win a tournament, then hold at least a share of the first-round lead the following week.

"This game's a funny game because sometimes you play well and the next week you're a little flat, sometimes you play well and you keep it going," Finau said. "It was nice to keep it going after last week and keep it going today."

Pendrith, meanwhile, is ranked No. 237 in the Official World Golf Ranking and looking for his first win on tour.

Pendrith led last October's Butterfield Bermuda Championship after the second and third rounds before a final-round 76 doomed him to a tie for fifth.

"I learned a lot that day," Pendrith said. "It was obviously brutal conditions, but basically can't lay off, you've got to always keep trying to