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With tricky winds swirling around an
already-challenging layout, Scheffler used a late surge to put
the finishing touches on a six-under-par 66 that left him one
shot back of overnight leader Bryson DeChambeau.
"I wasn't really thinking too much about my score out there. I
mean, it's the first day of the tournament," said Scheffler, who
had four birdies during a late five-hole stretch.
"I was just trying to hit good shots and stay patient out there.
You cannot force yourself into making birdies around this golf
course. It just doesn't really lend itself to that, especially
with the high winds."
Scheffler was playing nine groups behind DeChambeau and was well
aware the fellow American had charged up the leaderboard with
his lowest score in 25 career rounds at the Masters.
But Scheffler, the 2022 Masters champion who came into the
year's first major as the hottest player on the planet, was far
from intimidated by the task at hand.
"I mean, I saw that he shot seven under, and I thought to
myself, wow, that's a really good round of golf, and I kind of
put my head down and focused on what I was doing," said
Scheffler, who responded with his first bogey-free trip around
Augusta National and lowest score in 17 rounds at the Masters.
Opening round action at the Masters was delayed by 2-1/2 hours
due to stormy weather, and while the rain softened the greens,
wind gusts made for challenging conditions that got the better
of many.
But Scheffler felt the conditions opened the door to an
opportunity given he takes pleasure in challenging environments.
"The majors are always very difficult challenges. It excites me.
I like playing against the best players," said Scheffler, who
has six top-10 finishes worldwide in 2024, including wins at the
Arnold Palmer Invitational and The Players Championship.
"And these tournaments I think excite me a little bit, and I try
to use that energy for some enhanced focus. And, yeah, I think
those are fun weeks to be out here playing."
(Reporting by Frank Pingue; Editing by Tom Hogue)
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