American Scottie Scheffler opened the PGA Tour Championship in Atlanta on Thursday after starting the event 10-under thanks to his first-place finish in the FedEx Cup.
Scheffler had a birdie on the last three flags of the course and scored an eagle to deliver a 65 (-5) card. He made just one error on the par 3 on the ninth hole to distance himself from the field on a -15 cumulative map.
His compatriot Patrick Cantlay, who started the competition at -8, was unaware of the expected day before the final pennant, where he managed to stall a 22-foot putt to register an eagle. His 70 (N) card nonetheless pushed him back to fourth place, level on points with Joaquin Niemann (64) at -8.
Xander Schauffele clinched the second stage of the tournament thanks to an excellent round of 66 (-4). He’s still five strokes behind Scheffler.
Unfortunately, the only Canadian to take part in this prestigious tournament, Corey Conners, had the worst day out of the 30 participating golfers. He played 74 (+4) and found himself in last place with +3.
Conners struggled to orient himself in the front nine. He committed three bogeys and a double bogey before completing the first half of the course.
Also, only eight athletes missed an underperforming map in the first round, including Tony Finau (72; +2) and Scott Stallings (N).
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