LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Scottie Scheffler started with a bang and showed little rust in his first competitive round since taking three weeks off for the birth of his son.
Scheffler’s approach from 167 yards at the first hole bounced a few feet in front of the hole and hopped into the cup for an eagle. Welcome back!
“It was a stock 9-iron. I was trying to hit it right at the pin because I felt like if I hit it the right way, the shortest it was going to go was on the pin,” he explained. “I felt like it was going to go a little past the pin if anything, and it was nice to see that one go in, obviously.”
Scheffler fired a 4-under 67 at Valhalla Golf Club on Thursday in the opening round of the 106th PGA Championship. He sits T-12 and trails leader Xander Schauffele by five strokes.
“I mean, there’s nothing I can do. Xander went out and played a great round this morning and I’m not really going to worry about trying to shoot 9 under. I’m just going to go out and try to hit good shots and play my own game,” said Scheffler.
The world No. 1 has been a force to be reckoned with, winning in four of his last five starts, including the Masters and RBC Heritage back-to-back before heading home to Dallas to await the birth of son Bennett.
“I’m in amazement,” Keegan Bradley told CBS. “There are certain guys that can excel extremely at one aspect of the game but it seems like Scottie is excelling at almost everything.”
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How good has his recent run been? Scheffler has four wins in 10 starts this season. That is a higher winning percentage than the current records of Major League Baseball’s Rockies, White Sox, Marlins, Astros, and Angels.
Scottie Scheffler holds up his trophy at the green jacket ceremony after winning the 2024 Masters Tournament. (Photo: Adam Cairns-USA TODAY Network)
Scheffler made six birdies and two bogeys, including a three-putt at No. 14 in which he seethed afterwards, but bounced back with his final birdie of the day at 15. After a long round and with an early tee time, Scheffler still rushed to the range to iron out a few wrinkles.
“I’m just going to go hit a few balls, hit a couple putts and try to get to sleep as quickly as I can tonight,” he said before heading to the range. “I felt like there was a couple things I can clean up going into tomorrow, but overall today was a solid round.”