Sam Ryder tweaked his neck Tuesday, didn’t hit a ball Wednesday, shot 63 Thursday

What’s the saying? Beware the injured golfer.

Enter Sam Ryder. The 35-year-old from Florida has played well this year, making all nine cuts. But he only has two top-20 finishes, both coming in the last month.

This week he came to the Valero Texas Open and tweaked his neck and upper back Tuesday after playing only nine holes at TPC San Antonio.

“I was hitting some drivers, everything was feeling really good with my swing, speed was ramping up and I kind of just felt something kind of strained a little bit in my upper back, kind of neck area and didn't feel quite right,” Ryder said. “Kind of got progressively worse.”

Ryder’s physical therapist was in town and he received treatment on Wednesday. Ryder didn’t touch a club, sat in his room and watched Netflix all day while resting.

He had little expectations but still showed up three hours early for his 12:40 first round tee time. Five hours later he played the last seven holes in six under par to put the finishing touches on a nine-under 63 to take the lead, one shot ahead of Keith Mitchell.

“I wanted to make some swings and just kind of see where I was at,” Ryder said. “If I wasn't going to be able to play, I wanted to let them know that in advance.

“My coach was here and I kind of was able to make some swings and I kind of was a little gun shy early, and as I built up the speed I kind of got more confidence and trust in what I was doing. Yeah, once I got on the course, you're really not hitting—thankfully, I didn't hit that many shots today, but you're not hitting that many drivers, you know, so I was able to play. Like I said, I think the warm weather helped a lot, too.”

Brian Harman is in third place at 66. Carson Young and Jordan Spieth are tied for fourth place after shooting 67. The winner of the event will earn an invitation into next week’s Masters if not already in the field.