By Adam Stanley
Written by Adam Stanley
Even when he wasn’t quite 100 percent sure of what he was doing, it was a near-perfect Thursday for Scottie Scheffler.
On the par-5 9th at TPC Craig Ranch, for example, Scheffler said he was in-between clubs from 244 yards away. He decided to choke down on a 3-wood and rifled one to just four feet to set up an eagle.
He called it the shot of the day and went out in a tidy 7-under 29.
Scheffler would come home in a 3-under 32, birding his final two holes of the day, to open with a 10-under 61. He leads by two over Rico Hoey and Jhonattan Vegas after Thursday’s opener.
The reigning Player of the Year is now in a prime spot for his first PGA TOUR title this season.
“Feel good. I played nice today,” Scheffler said. “Had the good front nine and was able to put together a solid back nine as well.
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Scottie Scheffler buries eagle putt for front-nine 29 at THE CJ CUP
“Overall, very pleased with the results of today.”
The 10-under 61 was neither Scheffler’s career low on the PGA TOUR – he shot a 59 in the second round of the 2020 FedEx St. Jude Championship – nor the course record – that’s 60, done twice. But it was Scheffler’s low 18-hole effort this season and second-lowest in his TOUR career, having shot 62 six times previously.
“I hit some good shots to start the round, gave myself some looks, and was able to capitalize with a good iron shot on three and hit another iron shot on four. I kept hitting fairways and greens,” Scheffler said. “Hit that nice pitch into six, good pitch into five as well. Was able to take advantage of the holes I needed to on the front nine.”
Scheffler was able to score well on a softer golf course, but he was quick to comment that it was “shockingly dry” considering a deluge of rain that essentially washed out practice play on Wednesday. Scheffler said he expected to walk onto the first green and “feel some sponginess,” but he said you “couldn’t tell” that there was upwards of four inches of rain the day prior.
Scheffler is keen to keep the pedal down over the next three days as he still sits winless in 2025 after his spectacular seven-win campaign in 2024. He has, however, started to put together a nice roster of results after a delayed start to the year because of a Christmastime hand injury. Scheffler has five top-10 results already this season, tied for the most on TOUR in 2025. The level-headed Scheffler said, however, he’s neither anxious nor eager to find the winner’s circle.
There is a lot of golf to go still, of course, and Scheffler knows he had a tremendous kind of start at TPC Craig Ranch.
Exactly what he was hoping for in his hometown TOUR event.
“I got off to a good start today, and there is three more days of the tournament,” Scheffler said. “I’m just focused on going home, getting some rest, and getting ready for tomorrow.”
