World number one Scottie Scheffler started limbering up for the Masters with a bogey-free five-under-par 65 that put him one off the first-round lead shared by Taylor Moore and Wilson Furr at the Houston Open on Thursday.
Moore shook off an opening bogey with an eagle and five birdies in his six-under-par 64 at Memorial Park Golf Course.
He was joined atop the board by 276th-ranked Furr, who played his last five holes in four-under with an eagle at the fifth and birdies at the eighth and ninth to close his round.
Scheffler, trying to become the first player since Dustin Johnson in 2017 to win three consecutive PGA Tour starts, had set the pace for much of the day as he shook off “a little rust” from his week off last week.
Scheffler missed the green at his first three holes but got up and down for par at each before rolling in a 12-foot birdie putt at the 13th.
He added birdies at the 17th, second, third and fifth holes, and while he hit just 11 of 18 greens in regulation he needed just 25 putts.
“I had a solid round,” Scheffler said. “Bogey-free is always nice, especially around a golf course like this. It’s nice to be able to keep the card clean.” It Scheffler’s 28th consecutive round under par to start the year, the most on record since 1983 according to the PGA Tour.
Perhaps more importantly Scheffler, who needed treatment on his neck on his way to victory at the Players Championship, said he was feeling good in his final tune-up for the Masters.
Scheffler’s win at TPC Sawgrass followed a five-stroke triumph at Bay Hill - his first victory in nearly a year. He’s rounding into form with the first major of the year approaching in two weeks at Augusta National, where Scheffler won in 2022. Scheffler was tied for third with fellow Americans Davis Riley and Joe Highsmith. Riley had six birdies and an eagle to overcome a bogey and a double-bogey while Highsmith had six birdies and a bogey.
Moore, who came up short in his title defence at the Valspar Championship last week, shook off an opening bogey with a chip-in eagle at the third.
Pajaree Anannarukarn jumps in front at Ford ChampionshipA string of five consecutive birdies led Thailand’s Pajaree Anannarukarn to the first-round lead at the inaugural Ford Championship on Thursday in Gilbert, Arizona.
Anannarukarn shot a 9-under-par 63 at Seville Golf and Country Club, leaving her with a one-stroke advantage.
American Lilia Vu, Germany’s Isi Gabsa, Australian Gabriela Ruffels and Spaniards Azahara Munoz and Carlota Ciganda share second place at 8 under.
South Korea’s Kyo Joo Kim and France’s Celine Boutier are tied for seventh at 7 under.
Eleven players, including world No 1 Nelly Korda, are at 6 under, tied for ninth.
Anannarukarn began on the back nine and was enjoying an impressive round through 13 holes: four birdies and nine pars. Then she closed with birdies at No 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 to conclude her day.
“It was a great day out there,” she said. “I actually was in the zone. I didn’t realise that I holed my fifth birdie in a row on the ninth green, but it was a great day,” she said.