Sign up to our free sport newsletter for all the latest news on everything from cycling to boxingSign up to our free sport email for all the latest news<\/p>\n
Akshay Bhatia shot an opening nine-under-par 63 to take a three-shot lead at the Valero Texas Open in San Antonio.<\/p>\n
The American did not drop a shot as he followed four birdies on the front nine with five on the second, including four in his final five holes.<\/p>\n
Bhatia sits ahead of Brendon Todd and Justin Lower with Max Homa among a group of four players two shots further back.<\/p>\n
Northern Ireland\u2019s Rory McIlroy is tied for eighth on three under par after going bogey free with three birdies.<\/p>\n
The world number two, who recently had a lesson with Tiger Woods\u2019 former coach Butch Harmon, told PGATour.com after his round: \u201cWhat I\u2019ve been trying to do the last couple weeks is no different than what I\u2019ve been trying to do previously; he just sort of gave me a different way to do it.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou could tell someone five different things and like for the same feel \u2013 like to a piece of a swing, but sometimes none of them resonated, sometimes all of them, sometimes one thing.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s just one of those things over the past few months that nothing was resonating with me.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe gave me a tiny little something that I went with and, as I said, it\u2019s felt a little better over the last two weeks and felt pretty good out there.\u201d<\/p>\n
A win at next week\u2019s Masters will see McIlroy join Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus and Woods as the only players to have won all four major championships.<\/p>\n
Three-time major winner Jordan Spieth had a dour round of 73 salvaged by a hole-in-one on the par three 16th.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Sign up to our free sport newsletter for all the latest news on everything from cycling to boxingSign up to our free sport email for all the latest news Akshay Bhatia shot an opening nine-under-par 63 to take a three-shot lead at the Valero Texas Open in San Antonio. The American did not drop a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":3091,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[173],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3090","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\n