Scottie Scheffler makes birdies in the Bahamas and leads by 2
NASSAU, Bahamas — Scottie Scheffler birdied all but the par-3 holes on the front nine at Albany Golf Club on Friday and finished his bogey-free round with an 8-under 64, giving him a two-shot lead in the Hero World Challenge.
Two months off have done nothing to slow down the world No. 1 player. Scheffler already has eight wins this year and is on pace to pick up another one before the end of the year.
Scheffler was at 13-under 131, two ahead of Akshay Bhatia (66) and Justin Thomas (67), who both had to save par on the 18th hole to stay within range heading into the weekend.
Scheffler opened with a 2-foot lob wedge for birdie and never slowed down until he holed out in 29 to take control of the holiday tournament against a field of 20 players. Scheffler cooled down slightly on the back nine, but it didn’t feel the same to him.
“Front nine, it’s just that things were going my way. Back nine, maybe not as much,” Scheffler said. “A few shots might get close to the hole, a few putts, just little things.”
Asked if he felt any frustration at not having it narrowed — he once shot 59 at TPC Boston during the FedEx Cup playoffs — Scheffler looked perplexed.
“I think in this game, I think a lot of you are looking for perfection in us,” he said. “Today I shot 8 under on the golf course, that’s not something I care about. Lots of good stuff there – clean card, bogey-free, eight birdies. Overall, I think I’m pretty satisfied.
Thomas felt his 67 was stress-free, particularly in the way he drove the ball. The wind has calmed again, which is rare in the Bahamas, but it is expected to get stronger this weekend.
Thomas wasn’t worried about Scheffler getting off to a good start, especially with three par 5s on the front nine and a short par 4 that, at worst, leaves a flip wedge on the green.
“You can literally birdie every hole as soft as the greens are,” Thomas said. “He’s a great player, a great wedge player, and you’ve got a lot of birdies to start with. Honestly, I’m surprised he only shot 8 under. It’s a sneaky course because if you fall asleep on certain shots, you can get out of position. But if you are focused and really control everything – like these last two days with no wind – you can make so many birdies.
Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley had a 67 and was four shots behind.
Even though conditions were benign, it wasn’t always easy. Cameron Young, who opened with a 64 for a two-shot lead, followed with a 75 despite five birdies. That included a double bogey on the final hole when his approach rolled down the bank into the rocks framing the lake that extends to the 18th hole.
Patrick Cantlay was trying to keep pace playing alongside Scheffler, but he made three bogeys over the final seven holes and fell seven shots behind with a 71.
The tournament, hosted by Tiger Woods, is unofficial but offers world ranking points to all but the bottom three players due to the small field. It’s the weakest field in 25 years, but Scheffler in the front row gives it enough cachet.
He is the first player since Woods in 2009 to start and end a year at world No. 1. And even after a layoff – giving him time to tinker with a new putting stroke – it looks like it might be a while before anyone changes that.
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