Scottie Scheffler’s attempt to make history as the first player to win three consecutive PGA Tour events in seven years got off to a strong start with a bogey-free 65 in the opening round of the Texas Children’s Houston Open.
The current world No 1, who has triumphed in his last two outings at the Arnold Palmer Invitational and the Players Championship, is vying to replicate Dustin Johnson’s feat from 2017 by winning three straight tournaments on the tour before The Masters, airing live from April 11-14 on Sky Sports.
Scheffler, who had recently shaved off his beard following his Sawgrass victory, began on the 10th and managed to pick up shots at the 13th and 17th after missing his first three greens, finishing the front nine at two under. He continued his solid play with a birdie on the par-three second and two more in the following holes to conclude the round at five under, just one stroke behind joint leaders Wilson Furr and Taylor Moore.
“I had a solid round. Bogey-free is always nice, especially around a golf course like this,” Scheffler commented. “It is nice to be able to keep the card clean.”
This marked Scheffler’s 28th consecutive round under par this year, the most on record since 1983 according to the PGA Tour.
Scheffler had been dealing with a neck issue at Sawgrass, where he clinched the title by one stroke with a closing 64, but he expressed optimism about his recovery.
“(The) neck is feeling better, body feels good. The off week was good for me to get some rest, get some rehab,” he said. “I took a couple more days off than I typically would last week, so it was some good recovery time.”
Moore initially struggled with a bogey but turned things around with an eagle on the par-five third, finishing the front nine at six under and taking the early clubhouse lead with more birdies.
“After the first hole, just tried to see how many greens I could hit,” Moore said. “Got off to a little bit of a jump start there on 3, chipped in for eagle and birdied 4. Just got into the round.”
Furr closed out his round impressively with a nearly 20-foot birdie putt to match Moore at six under with a 64. Despite being a PGA Tour rookie ranked No 278 in the world, Furr made a strong move on the front nine after starting on the back, including a hole-out eagle from the fifth fairway and birdie-birdie finish.
Davis Riley and Joe Highsmith shared the third spot with Scheffler, while Aaron Rai from England was among the early starters at four under.
Don’t miss the live coverage of the Texas Children’s Houston Open on Sky Sports. Early coverage of the second round starts on Friday from 12.30pm on Sky Sports Golf, followed by full coverage from 8pm. The Masters will be exclusively live from April 11-14 on Sky Sports. Stream the PGA Tour, DP World Tour, majors, and more with NOW.
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