NASSAU, Bahamas — Scottie Scheffler birdied every hole but the par-3 front nine at Albany Golf Club on Friday and finished his round with an 8-under 64 to give him a two shot at Hero World . The challenge.
Two months off has done nothing to slow down the world’s best player. Scheffler already has eight victories this year and is on track to get another before the end of the year.
Scheffler was 13-under 131, two ahead of Akshay Bhatia (66) and Justin Thomas (67), both of whom needed to par on the 18th hole to stay in the weekend.
Scheffler started with a lob wedge to 2 feet for birdie and didn’t let up until he teed off in 29 to take control of the holiday tournament against a 20-man field. Scheffler cooled off a bit on the back nine, but it didn’t feel that way to him.
“On the front nine, things were going well for me. On the back nine, maybe not so much,” Scheffler said. “A few shots can end up close to the hole, a few putts go in, just little things.”
Asked if there was any frustration he felt he didn’t put down — he once shot a 59 at TPC Boston during a FedEx Cup qualifier — Scheffler sounded upset.
“I think that in this game, I think that most of you are looking for perfection in us,” he said. “Today I shot 8 under on the golf course, not something to hang my head over. A lot of good things out there — clean card, bogey-free, eight birdies. All in all, I think I’m pretty happy.”
Thomas felt his 67 was stress-free, especially with the way he drove the ball. The wind also dropped, which is unusual for the Bahamas, although it is expected to pick up over the weekend.
Thomas didn’t mind seeing Scheffler start to heat up, especially with three par-5s on the front nine and a short par-4 that at worst left a flip wedge on the green.
“You can make birds every hole as soft as greens,” Thomas said. “He’s a great player, he’s a great wedge player, and he’s got a lot of birdie holes to start with. I’m honestly surprised he only shot under 8. It’s a tricky course because if you sleep on certain shots, you can get out of position. But if you’re open and focused and really in control of everything — like these last two days with no wind — you can make so many birds.”
Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley had a 67 and was four shots back.
No matter how bad the circumstances were, it wasn’t always easy. Cameron Young, who opened with a 64 for a two-shot lead, followed with a 75 despite making five birdies. That included a double bogey on the final hole when his approach fell down the banks of the rocks that make up the lake that runs down the 18th hole.
Patrick Cantlay was trying to keep playing close to Scheffler, but he had three bogeys over the last seven holes and fell seven shots behind with a 71.
The tournament, hosted by Tiger Woods, is unofficial but awards world ranking points to all but the bottom three players due to the small field. It’s the weakest field in 25 years, but Scheffler at No. 1 gives it enough cache.
He is the first player since Woods in 2009 to start and finish the year ranked No. 1 in the world. And even after the layoff — giving him time to play with a new stroke — it looks like it could be a while before anyone changes that.
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