– The first round of the Texas Children’s Houston Open hasn’t shown a very different Scottie Scheffler (-3) from the one seen in previous events. He hints at it, but doesn’t quite make a decisive move. He manages the rounds and scores, as indicated by the 67 he signed, which places him reasonably close to the lead, but he doesn’t deliver a brilliant, groundbreaking, intimidating performance. When it’s not one thing that’s lacking, it’s another, but the fact is he can’t seem to get a real rhythm going in a competitive round.
– To start with, he will begin the second round two shots behind a packed group of co-leaders: Alejandro Tosti (-5), Taylor Pendrith (-5), Ryan Gerard (-5), and Keith Mitchell (-5). Let’s highlight the presence of Gerard, another young American with just enough experience (coming from the Korn Ferry Tour), eager to make his mark. There’s hardly a week this year without a rookie appearing at the top and even fighting for the win until the end. It may not be very glamorous, but it’s undoubtedly a sign of good health for the tour. Another recent graduate through the Korn Ferry Tour, Jackson Suber (-4), was going to finish as the sole leader, but he missed a one-and-a-half-meter par putt on the 18th and also missed the return, signing a painful final double bogey.
– Let’s return to Scheffler. Today, the burden was his irons. The wedges, to be precise. He seemed somewhat confused with the control of the spin, for example, so he didn’t quite leave the ball close. It’s also fair to add that the unpleasant day at the Memorial Park Golf course in Houston didn’t make things easier, with some heavy showers and considerable gusts of wind causing trouble.
– The putter, however, was the key to his under-par round. Scottie made some good putts to save pars and also two other birdie putts from medium and long distances, which really make the difference. The good news for the Texan is obvious: in a rather discreet round from the fairway, he managed to peek into the hot zone of the leaderboard. Number Ones have these things because his card was also free of bogeys, but it feels like his ‘B’ version won’t be enough to win this tournament.
– Rory McIlroy (PAR) didn’t shine either. In fact, he seemed hesitant in almost all areas of the game, especially during his first nine holes. The Northern Irishman, however, has room to manoeuvre, as the leaderboard is very tight, with nearly a hundred players within a six-shot range and 54 holes to play. “My round was mediocre, that would be a good way to describe it,” he stated bluntly just after handing in his card.
– Scottie, however, perhaps to avoid being too hard on himself, at least in public, gave himself a good mark. In reality, as things stand, a score of 67 in changing conditions deserves more than the benefit of the doubt. “I felt like I started to play a bit better on the back nine, but still managed a good score. The conditions were quite tough with the rain and wind, so it was good to keep the card clean,” explained the Number One, who has yet to see himself leading a tournament this year. We’ll see if it happens tomorrow.
