NASSAU, Bahamas: Scottie Scheffler birdied every hole but the par 3s on the front nine at Albany Golf Club on Friday and finished his bogey-free round with an 8-under 64 that gave him a two-shot lead in the Hero World Challenge.
Two months off did nothing to slow the world’s No. 1 player. Scheffler already has eight victories this year and is in position to get another before the end of the year.
Scheffler was at 13-under 131, two ahead of Akshay Bhatia (66) and Justin Thomas (67), both of whom had to save par on the 18th hole to stay in range going into the weekend.
Scheffler started with a lob wedge to 2 feet for birdie and never slowed until after he went out in 29 to seize control of the holiday tournament against a 20-man field. Scheffler cooled slightly on the back nine, except it didn’t feel that way to him.
“Front nine, just things were going my way. Back nine, maybe not as much,” Scheffler said. “A couple shots could end up closer to the hole, a couple putts go in, just little things.”
Asked if he felt any frustration he didn’t take it lower — he once shot 59 at the TPC Boston during the FedEx Cup playoffs — Scheffler sounded bemused.
“I think in this game I think a lot of all y’all are looking for perfection out of us,” he said. “Today I shot 8 under on the golf course, not something I hang my head about. A lot of good things out there — clean card, bogey-free, eight birdies. Overall, I think I’m pretty pleased.”
Thomas felt his 67 was stress-free, particularly the way he was driving the ball. The wind laid down again, rare for the Bahamas, though it is expected to pick up on the weekend.
Thomas wasn’t concerned to see Scheffler get off to a hot start, especially with three par 5s on the front nine and a short par 4 that at worst leaves a flip wedge to the green.
“You literally can birdie every hole as soft as the greens are,” Thomas said. “He’s a great player, a great wedge player, and you have a lot of birdie holes to start. I’m honestly surprised he only shot 8 under. It’s a sneaky course because if you fall asleep on some shots, you can get out of position. But if you’re on and focused and really in control of everything — like these last two days with no wind — you can just make so many birdies.”
Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley had a 67 and was four shots behind.
No matter how benign the conditions, it wasn’t always easy. Cameron Young, who opened with a 64 for a two-shot lead, followed with a 75 despite making five birdies. That included a double bogey on the final hole when his approach tumbled down the bank into the rocks framing the lake that goes all the way down the 18th hole.
Patrick Cantlay was trying to keep pace playing alongside Scheffler, but he had 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 because of the small field. It’s the weakest field in 25 years, but Scheffler at No. 1 gives it enough cachet.
He is the first player since Woods in 2009 to start and finish a year at No. 1 in the world. 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.
