Scottie Scheffler returns to
hometown Byron Nelson, takes 1st-round lead with 10-under 6
[May 02, 2025]
By SCHUYLER DIXON
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 on
Thursday for a two-shot lead over Rico Hoey and Jhonattan Vegas,
with Champ among seven 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, Patton Kizzire and Will
Gordon.
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.
[to top of second column] |
Rico Hoey, right, and his caddie approach the 8th green during the
first round of the CJ Cup Byron Nelson golf tournament in McKinney,
Texas, Thursday, May 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Gareth Patterson)
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.
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