Scottie Scheffler is at it again, with the World No.1 carding his lowest ever round at The Masters to get himself off to the perfect start in his quest for a second Green Jacket.
Playing in a big group with the career grand slam-chasing Rory McIlroy and the in-form Xander Schauffele, Scheffler looked composed throughout and never really blinked in his six-under-par opener, outscoring McIlroy by five and Schauffele by six.
His flawless 66 is also his first ever bogey-free round at Augusta.
Scheffler came in as overwhelming betting favorite and he lived up to those odds on Thursday, continuing his Tiger-esque form that has seen him win at Bay Hill and TPC Sawgrass in the past month. His worst finish in seven starts this year is T17th, with every other finish inside the top-10 including two wins, a runner-up, a 3rd, a 5th and a 6th.
The Texan birdied the par 5 2nd to start his round and went on to birdie three of the four par 5s at Augusta, while he also birdied three of the four par 3s. He sits one behind Bryson DeChambeau at the end of the day, with the LIV Golfer carding a sensational 65.
"I did a good job of staying patient today. We kept the golf course in front of us. And, I mean, I executed some really nice up-and-downs to keep the round going. And, yeah, I enjoy coming here and competing in this golf tournament," he said.
"You know, the first day is over and I'm off to a good start. And, you know, going into tonight I'll just focus on going home, getting some rest. May go hit a few balls, but outside of that I'm going to go get some recovery in and some dinner and try to get some sleep."
Due to the two-and-a-half hour delay on Thursday morning, the latter half of the draw will be returning to complete their opening rounds on Friday.
Scottie Scheffler: 1st career bogey-free round at #TheMastersHe's the 3rd reigning world no. 1 to open a Masters with 66 or lower - Dustin Johnson shot 65 in 2020 (won) and Greg Norman shot 63 in 1996 (finished 2nd).April 11, 2024
Rory McIlroy spoke of how "efficient" the World No.1 was in his 66.
"I think when they're playing with you it's hard not to notice. Scottie does such a good job of - it doesn't look like it's 6-under par, and then at the end of the day it's 6-under par," McIlroy said of his playing partner.
"He's just so efficient with everything. If you look at Scottie compared to the rest of the field, the amount of bogey-free rounds he plays and he shoots is phenomenal, and that's the secret to winning Major championships and winning big-time golf tournaments is more limiting the mistakes rather than making a ton of birdies.
"I made three bogeys today, which is fine out there in these conditions, but just need to tidy it up a little bit to try to keep up with him."
"I mean, I think in terms of these tournaments, yeah, I think limiting your mistakes, obviously a lot easier said than done," Scheffler said in response to McIlroy's comments.
"But, yeah, limiting your mistakes is important. It's important to kind of keep that momentum of the round going. And I felt like today, when I was in some challenging spots on some tough holes, did a good job of pitching it up there nice and close.
"Yeah, overall it was a pretty solid day."
