It had been just about a month since Scottie Scheffler teed it up in a competitive setting amid the birth of his first child with his wife, Meredith. The world No. 1 wasted no time in the first round of the 2024 PGA Championship on Thursday reminding the golf world that he is, in fact, still very much the best player in the world.
Scheffler's first two shots went like this:
- Shot 1: 323 yards to center of fairway
- Shot 2: 167 yards to the bottom of the cup
Holing out from the middle of the fairway with a 9 iron in hand, Scheffler sent a shockwave through Valhalla Golf Club. Immediately getting to 2 under and ascending inside the top 20, Scheffler now has his sights set at the top of the leaderboard as he goes for his second major championship of the season and third of his career.
With his opening eagle, the Masters champion stands seven off the pace of Xander Schauffele, who blitzed the Valhalla course with an opening 9-under 62 to set the PGA Championship scoring record. Last year, Schauffele tied a U.S. Open scoring record with a first-round 62 moments after Rickie Fowler had done the same. If Scheffler keeps on hitting shots like he did on No. 1, a similar situation may very well unfold.
