After the opening hole, Scottie Scheffler’s lead ended, and for a moment, deja vu enveloped East Lake Golf Club.
In the FedExCup Starting Strokes format, Scheffler started the last two TOUR Championships at No. 1, 10-under, but was unable to finish the season on a high note. His lead vanished at the end of the opening round a year ago.
But it had never arrived so quickly. On Thursday, Scheffler got off to a typical 10-under start. They were tied at 9 under thanks to an early birdie from Xander Schauffele and a bogey from Scheffler.
However, Scheffler’s 2024 campaign hasn’t been as good as his last two. With seven victories, including the Masters, THE PLAYERS Championship, and the Olympics, the Texan distanced himself from the rest of the professional golf field and exceeded even the highest hopes at the beginning of the campaign.
And Thursday was not the same as well.
After making seven birdies on the first hole, Scheffler played flawlessly, finishing at the redesigned East Lake with a 6-under 65. It was the lowest round of the day, one better than Schauffele’s and Collin Morikawa’s combined. At the TOUR Championship, Scheffler’s lead of seven is the largest to date.
“I wasn’t considering the lead when I got out there today. There’s no justification. The event has begun today.”Scheffler said.
Though it’s odd to think that Scheffler might still have more to prove following his historic 2024, this week is the perfect time to do so. If there’s anything to be unhappy about from his previous two campaigns, it’s that he wasn’t able to secure the TOUR Championship. On the last day of the 2022 Tour Championship, Scheffler had a six-shot lead, but he was defeated by a raging Rory McIlroy.
The more successful his most recent attempt is, the more pressure there will be. After his first round on Thursday, the world No. 1 tried his best to avoid discussing the lead, stating there was still much work to be done.
“I’m making an effort not to give the Starting Strokes issue much thought. It’s still a little strange, in my opinion, because it’s not a customary event. However, I think I performed a lot of things well today, and it was fantastic to start the first round off properly.”Scheffler said.
Scheffler finished seventh in Strokes Gained: Putting, hitting 10-of-14 fairways and 16-of-18 greens. 5 of Scheffler’s final 7 holes were birdies.
“It appeared as though Scottie was on practically every fairway. While he was out there, it appeared as though he was practicing wedge technique.”Schauffele said.
Schauffele is the only player who has, even for brief intervals, been on par with Scheffler in terms of form. He was the only player to catch Scheffler in the FedExCup at the BMW title, and he made his breakthrough with two significant title wins. However, following his initial birdie, the world No. 2 played even-par golf, failing to match Scheffler’s pace, a recurring problem for the remainder of the PGA TOUR field throughout the season.
