Scottie Scheffler returns to hometown Byron Nelson, takes 1st-round lead with 10-under 61
McKINNEY, Texas (AP) — Scottie Scheffler is happy to be back at his hometown event and showed it.
Cameron Champ isn't far from familiar territory, either, which is a good thing considering he got the call that he was in the Byron Nelson as an alternate about 18 hours before his tee time.
Scheffler made the turn in 29 on his way to a 10-under 61 for a two-shot lead over Rico Hoey and Jhonattan Vegas, with Champ among six players another shot back at 64.
Defending champion Taylor Pendrith shot 67 with players allowed to lift, clean and replace their shots in the fairways after the par-71 TPC Craig Ranch got heavy rainfall Wednesday.
The top-ranked Scheffler outshined fellow hometown star Jordan Spieth with the former Texas Longhorns paired together along with Si Woo Kim, a South Korean who also calls Dallas home and was showcased in an event sponsored by CJ Group, a conglomerate based in his home country.
Kim shot 67, capping his round with a lofty chip-in for eagle at the par-5 18th and rolling onto his back in celebration. Spieth is 2 under. Vegas, another Texas alum, had a bogey-free round along with Scheffler and Hoey.
The others at 7 under with Champ are Stephan Jaeger, Michael Thorbjornsen, Eric Cole, Andrew Putnam and Patton Kizzire.
Scheffler missed last year's event in Dallas' northern suburb of McKinney for the birth of his first child, son Bennett.
'Jordan and I love playing here. This tournament has meant a lot to us over the years,' Scheffler said. 'Obviously last year I was missing for some pretty good reasons. I wasn't too sad about what was going on in my life at the time.'
Back then, he had 10 wins combined before May over a three-year stretch, including the Masters and Players Championship twice each. Now, Scheffler is still seeking the first victory of 2025.
Not that he was playing poorly before posting his lowest round of the year. Scheffler finished fourth as the defending champion at Augusta and has four other top-10 finishes this year.
'I wouldn't say anxious or eager, anything like that,' the 13-time winner said of seeking his first victory in 2025. 'I got off to a pretty good start today, and there's three more days of the tournament. Just focused on going home and getting some rest.'
Scheffler birdied four consecutive holes on the front nine and added one more before putting his approach at the par-5 ninth inside 5 feet for an eagle to get to 7 under.
A chip for birdie stopped on the lip at the par-4 11th, the second of three consecutive pars before he pulled even with Hoey with a birdie at 13. Scheffler took the lead by putting his tee shot on the stadium hole — the par-3 17th — inside 3 feet.
Hoey, a 29-year-old from the Philippines seeking his first PGA Tour victory, started with eight pars on the back nine before an eagle on 18 triggered an 8-under finish over his final 10 holes. His 63 tied his career low on the PGA Tour. Hoey's best finish this year also was in Texas, a tie for 11th at the Houston Open.
'It's been up and down, but from the start of the last season and comparing it, I think I'm doing a way better job,' said Hoey, who won on the Canadian tour in 2017 and the Korn Ferry circuit two years ago. 'Just feel like there are rounds I've been clicking; other rounds I haven't put it up. Kind of nice to get the momentum rolling now.'
Champ, who lives in Houston and played at Texas A&M, was home when he got the call that he was replacing Gary Woodland, who withdrew. He made it to the Dallas area Wednesday night and countered two bogeys in his first three holes with nine birdies.
The 29-year-old from California won three times from 2019-21 but missed 35 of 55 cuts over the previous two years. This is just his fourth start of 2025.
'Considering last year, how many cuts I missed by one, it was like 11 or 12 or something, I haven't really been playing that bad,' Champ said. 'The last two years is probably the hardest I've ever worked. Feel like my physical abilities are there. It's just getting back to the right mental state.'
Cleaning duty
Spieth and Danny Walker had to pause to clean spikes after wayward tee shots into muddy territory. Walker's cleaning delay lasted several minutes, including others helping by splashing the soles with bottled water.
Walker, playing in the group ahead of Spieth, ended up with a bogey on the par-4 11th on his way to a 68. Spieth scrambled for a par-4 at No. 3 after barely missing the water while putting his tee shot in a waste area.
___
AP golf:
https://apnews.com/hub/golf
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
28 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Pete Alonso closing in on Mets home run record
DENVER (AP) — When he re-signed with the New York Mets last winter, Pete Alonso saw an opportunity to become the team's career leader in home runs and multihomer games. He checked one record off his list Sunday with a pair of two-run shots in a 13-5 victory over the Colorado Rockies — and the burly first baseman is closing in on the other. Advertisement Alonso's 23rd multihomer game broke a tie with Darryl Strawberry for the most in Mets history. The four-time All-Star and two-time Home Run Derby champion now has 243 career homers, passing David Wright (242) for second place on the franchise list — nine behind Strawberry. 'Honestly, it's just one of those things where I can't really be too involved in it,' Alonso said. 'For me, I just want to win. Whatever happens, capitalize on certain pitches in the zone, then I'll get my chance to do so by helping my team win. That's always been the focus.' Alonso hit two of New York's season-high six homers to help complete a 5-2 trip. He has six home runs and two multihomer games in June after going deep just four times in 27 games in May. He went 5 for 14 during the weekend series and has raised his batting average from .288 to .301 over the last eight games. 'There's a lot to like about his bat right now,' manager Carlos Mendoza said. 'Just dominating pitches in the strike zone. That's who he is. We know that the power's always been there, but now we're looking at a really good hitter.' Advertisement Alonso wasn't the only Mets player with a banner day. Juan Soto had three hits and walked three times to reach base in all six plate appearances. He became the first New York player to accomplish that feat since Alonso on Aug. 15, 2019, at Atlanta. 'It's not easy to do at the big league level,' Mendoza said. 'You get six times at the plate and you find a way to get on base. Finally getting results, but I feel the at-bat quality has been there.' Alonso's path toward becoming the Mets' career home run leader began when he set the major league record for rookies with 53 in 2019. He has hit at least 34 homers in each of his five full big league seasons and is on pace for 41 this year. Advertisement 'Pete's been pretty incredible this year. He's been locked in every single at-bat,' said teammate Jeff McNeil, who also hit two home runs Sunday. 'Seems like big situations he's going to do some damage. 'It's fun to watch and I feel like he's putting on a show every time he's at the ballpark.' ___ AP MLB: Michael Kelly, The Associated Press
Hamilton Spectator
31 minutes ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Pete Alonso closing in on Mets home run record
DENVER (AP) — When he re-signed with the New York Mets last winter, Pete Alonso saw an opportunity to become the team's career leader in home runs and multihomer games. He checked one record off his list Sunday with a pair of two-run shots in a 13-5 victory over the Colorado Rockies — and the burly first baseman is closing in on the other. Alonso's 23rd multihomer game broke a tie with Darryl Strawberry for the most in Mets history. The four-time All-Star and two-time Home Run Derby champion now has 243 career homers, passing David Wright (242) for second place on the franchise list — nine behind Strawberry. 'Honestly, it's just one of those things where I can't really be too involved in it,' Alonso said. 'For me, I just want to win. Whatever happens, capitalize on certain pitches in the zone, then I'll get my chance to do so by helping my team win. That's always been the focus.' Alonso hit two of New York's season-high six homers to help complete a 5-2 trip. He has six home runs and two multihomer games in June after going deep just four times in 27 games in May. He went 5 for 14 during the weekend series and has raised his batting average from .288 to .301 over the last eight games. 'There's a lot to like about his bat right now,' manager Carlos Mendoza said. 'Just dominating pitches in the strike zone. That's who he is. We know that the power's always been there, but now we're looking at a really good hitter.' Alonso wasn't the only Mets player with a banner day. Juan Soto had three hits and walked three times to reach base in all six plate appearances. He became the first New York player to accomplish that feat since Alonso on Aug. 15, 2019, at Atlanta. 'It's not easy to do at the big league level,' Mendoza said. 'You get six times at the plate and you find a way to get on base. Finally getting results, but I feel the at-bat quality has been there.' Alonso's path toward becoming the Mets' career home run leader began when he set the major league record for rookies with 53 in 2019. He has hit at least 34 homers in each of his five full big league seasons and is on pace for 41 this year. 'Pete's been pretty incredible this year. He's been locked in every single at-bat,' said teammate Jeff McNeil, who also hit two home runs Sunday. 'Seems like big situations he's going to do some damage. 'It's fun to watch and I feel like he's putting on a show every time he's at the ballpark.' ___ AP MLB:
Yahoo
33 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Sizzling Kiwi beats Burns in Canadian Open playoff
New Zealander Ryan Fox has won for the second time in five weeks on the PGA Tour with another memorable shot in a playoff to beat Sam Burns in the Canadian Open. Fox won the Myrtle Beach Classic last month by chipping in for birdie to win a three-man playoff. This one on the TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley on Sunday took a little longer. What turned out to be the winning shot this time on the fourth extra hole might be more memorable. Fox smoked a 3-wood that landed softly just left of the pin and settled seven feet away. Burns pulled his 3-wood some 55 feet left of the flag. He ran his eagle putt eight feet by and missed that one. Fox missed his eagle try before tapping in for birdie. "That shot I hit on 18 ... probably the best shot I've ever hit."@RyanFoxGolfer sealed the deal with this shot on the fourth playoff hole @RBCCanadianOpen. — PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) June 8, 2025 "To be honest, Sam and I had a bit of a pillow fight for three holes," Fox said. "But that shot I hit on 18, that 3-wood, was probably the best shot I've ever hit. It would have been nice to make the putt. But hey, I'll take it." Fox holed a birdie putt from just inside 18 feet on the par-5 18th in regulation for a four-under 66 that allowed him to join Burns at 18-under 262. Burns (62) had finished some two hours earlier with a birdie on the final hole. They played the 18th four more times and there was nothing compelling about the extra holes. Fox finally delivered the goods and now has two wins in just over a month, propelling the 38-year-old from No.75 to 32 in the world and getting him into the US Open next week for being among the top 60. Taiwan's Kevin Yu (66) birdied the last to finish alone in third, one shot out of the playoff. He narrowly missed out on the top 60 to get to Oakmont next week, but joined American duo Cameron Young and Matt McCarty as earning the top three spots for the British Open next month for players not already eligible. Fox already was in the British Open from his victory in the BMW PGA Championship in 2023, the flagship event on the European tour. Fox now has eight wins worldwide — two on the PGA Tour, four on the European tour and two on the PGA Tour of Australasia. Burns was hopeful of ending more than two years without a victory, his last title coming in the final year of the World Golf Championships-Match Play in 2023. Young (65) tied for fourth. He made an incredible par on the 17th. But needing birdie on the par-5 18th to catch Burns, the clubhouse leader at the time, Young flushed a 3-wood into the breeze and into the trees. It took two to get on the green and he made bogey to finish two shots behind. "I thought in the air I was going to have about a 12-footer to win the tournament, and it ended up somewhere I was going to struggle to make par, let alone make a 4. Pretty upset," Young said.
