Scottie Scheffler opens Open defense with a 68 at Royal Birkdale
The world No. 1 made four birdies in his first six holes, then cooled off to sit two shots off the early lead at The Open.
By Georgia Hale · Staff Writer
3 min read
Scottie Scheffler needed only six holes to put his name on top at Royal Birkdale, then spent the rest of Thursday grinding out a round that kept him firmly in the hunt.
The defending champion and world No. 1 opened the 154th Open with a 2-under 68, according to CBS Sports, leaving him two strokes behind early leaders Sungjae Im and Dan Brown. Scheffler played alongside Bryson DeChambeau and Tyrrell Hatton in a marquee first-round group that finished a combined 6 under.
DeChambeau had been tied for the lead before a bogey at the final hole, CBS Sports reported. Hatton also dropped a shot at the par-4 18th and signed for a 69.
Scheffler’s charge came fast. CBS Sports reported that he made four birdies in his first six holes, including one at No. 3 after shaping a mid-iron into a right-to-left wind. At the short par-4 fifth, he sent a 3-wood near the green and used a lofted chip to set up another birdie.
He then poured in a birdie putt from just inside 50 feet at the par-4 sixth. That was his last birdie of the day.
The card got messier from there, though not by much. Scheffler bogeyed the short par-3 seventh after what he later described as a disappointing wedge, then dropped another shot at the par-5 17th after putting his second shot from the fairway out of position and missing from inside 5 feet, according to CBS Sports.
“Anytime you can shoot under par to start a major championship, it's a good spot to be in,” Scheffler said, according to CBS Sports. “I got off to a hot start in the round today and wasn't able to make as many birdies as I would have hoped to down the stretch.”
Scheffler said his par-5 scoring bothered him, and he pointed to the bogey at No. 7 as another missed chance. Still, he said the way he struck the ball gave him reason to like his position after 18 holes.
“Golf is played over 72 holes, and I definitely liked what I saw today,” Scheffler said.
The numbers backed up the ball-striking. CBS Sports reported that Scheffler missed only one fairway and led the field in driving accuracy among the early starters. He played the par 4s in 4 under, while playing the par 3s and par 5s in 1 over each.
His putter did most of its work early. According to CBS Sports, Scheffler made about 80 feet of putts on the front nine and about 20 feet on the back nine.
The toughest stretch did not knock him off course. CBS Sports reported that Scheffler played the five hardest holes, Nos. 6, 8, 13, 15 and 18, in 1 under and gained a little more than 2.50 strokes on the field.
“I felt like I could have gotten a little bit more out of it,” Scheffler said, according to CBS Sports. “But yeah, if I continue to do what I did today with the ball-striking, I'll be in a good spot as the week goes on.”
This story draws on original reporting from CBS Sports.