Scottie Scheffler (-7) didn’t need to make any particular show of strength on the first day of The Sentry to present his candidacy, yet another one, for victory. The Texan golfer, without doing anything out of the ordinary, quite faulty from the tee, barely sinking a putt from beyond a metre and a half, three-putting on the 18th and playing under the worst conditions of the day, with much more wind blowing in the afternoon, handed in a scorecard of 66 strokes, matching the best of his career in this tournament.
On a day like today, the true power of this world Number One is reflected. Low rounds fall like rain. His irons are more than enough to keep creating birdie opportunities from all angles, even the most unexpected ones. He doesn’t even need to be good from the tee. That’s why he’s the best golfer on the planet from the rough. The Kapalua Resort, venue for The Sentry, is considered one of the most generous courses of the PGA Tour season from the tee. Fairways are taken for granted. Well, Scheffler, with seven out of fifteen, less than half, finished the first day at the bottom of the pack in this statistic. It doesn’t matter much.
Nor was it the best of his days on the greens. He only sank one putt longer than a metre and a half, on hole 11, a good six-metre tube. The rest were little more than death passes, with the final blow on the last hole, where he signed a three-putt after catching the green in two. He’s a relentless hammer and that’s how he’s already just two strokes behind the solo lead held by Sahith Theegala (-9). Seventh position.
The first day of the PGA Tour season did not disappoint at all. The Sentry lived up to its tradition and, despite the afternoon wind, produced a festival of low rounds. Six under par didn’t even serve to finish the day in the top 10. Bad day to quit smoking. Full throttle and no looking back.
The classification is tight, with a total of 24 players separated by only four strokes, close to half of those participating. The conclusion is that the pace must be maintained until Sunday, as it has not been a matter of one, two or three players who have stood out, there are many and very good ones in the noble area.
In this sense, it is worth highlighting the notable performance of the top 10 in the world present in Hawaiian lands. In addition to Scheffler (-8), Hovland (-8), Schauffele (-7), Cantlay (-7), Homa (-6) or Harman (-6) have started strong. The year starts off fun.
Similarly, the start of Jason Day (-8), fully determined to recover the best level of his career, Sungjae Im (-8) or Jordan Spieth (-7) should be highlighted. The Texan was running after six holes with a score of +1.
