It was almost the ideal Thursday for Scottie Scheffler, despite the fact that he wasn’t entirely certain of what he was doing.
For instance, Scheffler claimed that he was in-between clubs from 244 yards out on the par-5 9th hole at TPC Craig Ranch. In order to set up an eagle, he chose to rifle one to only four feet and choke down on a 3-wood.
He finished with a clean 7-under 29 and dubbed it the shot of the day.
With two strokes ahead of Rico Hoey and Jhonattan Vegas during Thursday’s opening round, Scheffler would finish in 3-under 32, birding his last two holes of the day to start with a 10-under 61.
Now, the Player of the Year winner is well-positioned to win his first PGA TOUR championship this year.
“Feel good. Today, I played nice. possessed a strong back nine in addition to a strong front nine. Overall, I’m rather happy with today’s outcomes.” Scheffler said.
Scheffler’s 10-under 61 was neither the course record, which is 60, done twice, nor his career low on the PGA TOUR, as he shot a 59 in the 2nd round of the 2020 FedEx St. Jude Championship. However, after shooting 62 six times in the past, Scheffler’s 18-hole performance was the second-lowest of the season.
“I gave myself some looks after hitting some solid shots to start the round, and I was able to capitalize with a solid iron shot on 3 and another on 4. I continued to hit greens and fairways. Made an excellent pitch into 5 and that nice pitch into 6. I was able to exploit the gaps on the front nine that I needed to.” Scheffler said.
On a gentler course, Scheffler managed to score decently, but he quickly remarked that it was “shockingly dry” despite the torrential rain that effectively wiped out practice play on Wednesday. You “couldn’t tell” that there had been up to four inches of rain the day before, but Scheffler said he anticipated to “feel some sponginess” as he stepped onto the first green.
After his incredible seven-win campaign in 2024, Scheffler is eager to keep up the pace over the following 3 days as he remains winless in 2025. However, following a delayed start to the season due to a hand injury sustained during the Christmas season, he has begun to assemble a respectable roster of results. With five top-10 finishes so far this season, Scheffler is tied for the most on the 2025 Tour. However, the calm Scheffler stated that he is neither thrilled nor nervous to identify the winner’s circle.
Scheffler is aware that he made a fantastic start at TPC Craig Ranch, but there is still a lot of golf to be done.
It was just what he had hoped for at his hometown tour.
“With 3 days left in the tournament, I’m off to a strong start today. My only priorities are getting home, resting, and preparing for tomorrow.” Scheffler said.
