Scottie Scheffler is in a five-way tie for the lead after the opening round of the Hero World Challenge.
Back in competition for the first time in two months, Scheffler shot a 66 despite a bogey on the 18th. He was one of five players at six-under par after the first day at Albany Golf Club in New Providence, Bahamas, alongside US Open champion JJ Spaun, Sepp Straka, Wyndham Clark and Akshay Bhatia.
Scheffler birdied four of the six scoring holes — the four par 5s and two reachable par 4s — with his only real mistake a chip that ran across and over the 18th green. “I did some good stuff,” he said. “I felt like I could have shot a good amount lower. There’s always a little bit of a rust. Once you get into competition, I don’t really think about that stuff.”
Bhatia and Straka were bogey-free. Clark, Scheffler and Spaun each reached seven under at one stage before dropping a shot late in the round: Clark bogeyed the par-5 15th after a poor tee shot, and Spaun bogeyed the 18th from a fairway bunker. Clark and Bhatia each holed bunker shots for eagle on the reachable par-4 seventh.
All but four players broke par in round one; newcomer Chris Gotterup was at 74 and Robert MacIntyre at 73. Jordan Spieth, playing on a sponsor exemption and making his first start since the FedEx St. Jude Championship, opened with a 72. He ran three straight birdies on the front nine but managed none over the final 11 holes as he struggled with chipping and, at times, putting.
Scheffler, who is seeking a third straight Hero World Challenge title, went 41 consecutive holes without a bogey dating to last year before his miss on the 18th green. Watch the Hero World Challenge on Sky Sports Golf from 6.30pm on Friday.
Image: Scottie Scheffler watches his putt on the third green. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)