Summary
Scottie Scheffler made his return to competition on Thursday after a two-month absence and showed no significant changes in his game. Despite a bogey on the final hole, he carded a 6-under-par 66 and joined a group of five players atop the Hero World Challenge. On a warm and windy afternoon at Albany Golf Club, Scheffler shared the lead with U.S. Open champion JJ Spaun, Sepp Straka, Wyndham Clark, and Akshay Bhatia.
He wasn't the only one who had been out of competition, as Straka also hadn't played since the end of the Ryder Cup in late September.
This tournament features a 20-player field and serves as a festive end-of-year event that top golfers use as a first step in preparing for the upcoming season. Scheffler, coming off a season with six wins, including two in major tournaments, had no worse result than a tie for eighth place in his last 15 tournaments. His only change was a new driver, which lived up to his expectations, while the rest of his game remained solid.
Key details
The player had birdies on four of the six scoring holes, which included four par 5s and two reachable par 4s. His only mistake was a chip that slid onto the 18th green.
“I did some good things,” Scheffler commented. “I felt like I could have scored a lower number. There’s always a little rust. Once you’re in the game, I don’t think about it much.”.
Bhatia and Straka played bogey-free. Scheffler, Clark, and Spaun all reached 7 under at one point, but all lost a stroke by the end of the round. Clark was 7 under coming into the par-5 15th, but a poor tee shot cost him a bogey. Spaun also bogeyed the 18th from a bunker.
Both Clark and Bhatia holed out from the bunker for eagle on the reachable par-4 seventh hole. In the opening round, only four players failed to break par, with Chris Gotterup and Robert MacIntyre suffering the most, carding 74 and 73 respectively.
Jordan Spieth, who received a sponsor's invitation, was playing for the first time since the FedEx St. Jude Championship and started with a 72. He had been working on his game to eliminate bad habits, but it was clear he had been inactive. Spieth made three consecutive birdies on the front nine, but couldn't repeat the feat on the back 11, struggling with his chip and, at times, his putting.
Statements and context
Furthermore, it probably didn't help that he was playing alongside Scheffler, who is seeking his third consecutive Hero World Challenge title. Since last year, Scheffler had played 41 consecutive holes without a bogey until he missed the 18th green and his chip shot went too far.
