Matti Schmid started strong at The American Express PGA Tour event but a late setback pushed him down the leaderboard.
Matti Schmid delivered a strong opening round at The American Express tournament on the PGA Tour, shooting a 67, which is 5 under par. However, a double bogey on the final hole prevented an even better score, placing him tied for 51st after day one, just two strokes off the top 20. Stephan Jäger carded a 71, 1 under par, tying for 118th, while Sepp Straka shot a 72, placing him at tied 131st. Both will need significant improvement on Friday to make the cut. Leading the field are Min Woo Lee and Pierceson Coody at 10 under par, followed by a chasing pack including Scottie Scheffler and Robert MacIntyre at 9 under par.
PGA Tour: Matti Schmid’s outstanding round until the last hole
At The American Express tournament held on the Nicklaus Tournament Course, conditions were excellent for Matti Schmid’s round. He started energetically with a strong drive on the first hole and immediately sank a birdie putt. Two more birdies followed on the front nine, both on the par 5 holes 4 and 7, with a precise drive on the latter positioning him well for 3 under par.
The back nine began even better with birdies on holes 10 and 11. After a par on hole 12, he added two more birdies to reach 7 under par. However, on hole 15, a misplayed second shot forced him to take a drop and he recorded his first bogey of the day. A quick recovery came with his eighth birdie on hole 16, putting him back on track and looking likely to finish in the top 20 for the day. Unfortunately, a significant error on the final hole, involving another drop and a missed bogey putt, resulted in a double bogey that concluded his round at 5 under par and tied 51st for the tournament’s second day.
Stephan Jäger and Sepp Straka fall back
Stephan Jäger had a difficult start on the back nine, recording a bogey and double bogey in four holes leaving him 3 over par. He improved with birdies on holes 16 and 18 to reach 1 over par, but further birdies on holes 5, 8, and the 9th hole brought him back to 1 under par for the round and tied 118th position overall. He will need a strong second round to advance past the cut.
Last year’s winner Sepp Straka struggled as well. Though he was steady and bogey-free on the front nine, he was unable to convert conditions into birdies and shot an even par 36. On the back nine, birdies on holes 10 and 13 provided hope, but bogeys on holes 15 and a double bogey on 16 set him back. He finished with a birdie on 18 to shoot an even-par round, tied for 131st, and must improve to play through the