Scottie Scheffler (-10) put on a masterclass on the first day of the CJ Cup Byron Nelson. He carded a 61 at the TPC Craig Ranch in Texas, taking the solo lead and standing out in the tournament. He has a two-shot lead over the second place, shared by Rico Hoey (-8) and Jhonattan Vegas (-8), and five over the first player outside the top 10. It’s true that the course, soft and receptive due to recent rains, has been forgiving. Only 30 players scored over par. In any case, Scheffler’s performance was phenomenal.
The Number One has unleashed the beast. As always in his case, it’s not just what he does, but how he does it. It’s the sense of absolute dominance he exudes. It’s the playstation turned golfer. He made eight birdies and an eagle, and only needed a putt of more than a metre and a half for two of the birdies. Don’t think he holed any long ones either. The two longest putts were five metres and just over four. The rest were almost gimmes.
Scheffler played very well from the tee, but above all, he was majestic with the irons. He went for the flags and found them. He was the best in the entire first round in greens in regulation. At times, it seemed like child’s play. His eagle on the 9th came after leaving his second shot a metre from the cup. Additionally, on the 6th hole, he nearly holed it from the fairway, and on the 17th, he came quite close to a hole-in-one. Anyone might say it was an unprecedented display, but the reality is Scheffler had many rounds like this in 2024. They might not have reached the excellence of the 61, but they were very close. He only had a couple of tricky situations and handled them brilliantly. The most delicate was perhaps on the 11th, but his approach was exceptional. He didn’t really struggle to save any pars.
His score for the first nine holes was seven under par. He shot 29. He had to wait until the 3rd hole to get started, but from there, his sequence was seven under par in the next seven holes, with a streak of four consecutive birdies. A different story. He was one shot away from equalling the course record and two from his best ever card on the PGA Tour.
Scheffler has started the Byron Nelson in the best possible way, a tournament he has a special fondness for, despite not being one of the best on the PGA Tour. After all, it was here he debuted at 17 in 2014. And he made the cut. Now he seeks his first victory of the season. There’s still a long way to go, but the truth is he hadn’t put on a display of this calibre in all of 2025.
Jordan Spieth (-2) didn’t start as well. His playing partner and Texas hero will need to step up this Friday to make the cut. Si Woo Kim (-4) fared slightly better, although if there was money on the line with Scheffler, the cash ended up in his pocket. Today, he truly performed as the best active Number One in the world after Rory McIlroy.
