Matt Fitzpatrick ripped through the front nine at TPC Scottsdale, carding a stunning 29 and birdying seven of his first eight holes, but he could not sustain the momentum and finished the opening round of the WM Phoenix Open at six under. A further birdie at the 12th had taken him to eight under with six holes to play, but back-to-back bogeys on the closing two holes left him two shots shy of the lead.
England’s Fitzpatrick said he would have happily taken six under to start the week and felt he gave himself a few more mid-range birdie chances on the back nine, but did not make them. “If someone said, here is six under to start the day and I can stay in bed, I would have snatched your hand off,” he added, calling his position a good one to build on.
The clubhouse lead belongs to American Chris Gotterup, the recent winner in Hawaii, who produced a flawless 63 featuring six birdies and an eagle. Gotterup’s round leaves him two clear of Fitzpatrick.
World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, by contrast, posted a two-over round and will be under pressure to make the cut. Scheffler dropped shots on three separate occasions across both nines and showed rare visible frustration after twice mishitting chips, most notably at the par-four 18th (played first) and later at the eighth, at which point he threw his hand up in disbelief. He declined to speak to media after his round and will need a low score on Friday to avoid missing his first cut since the 2022 FedEx St. Jude Championship.
Europeans filled spots near the top of the leaderboard. Denmark’s Nicolai Højgaard was among four players at five under, with countryman Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen sitting on four under and Rasmus Højgaard two shots further back. England’s John Parry was three under with two holes left to play as darkness fell, while former Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama was among a 14-player group at four under.