Matti Schmid had a strong start at The American Express PGA Tour event but a late setback pushes him down the leaderboard.
Matti Schmid started the opening round of The American Express on the PGA Tour with an impressive 5-under-par 67. However, a double bogey on the 18th hole dropped him to T51, just two strokes shy of the top 20. Stephan Jäger shot a 71 and stands at T118, while Sepp Straka carded a 72 placing him at T131. Both will need significant improvements on Friday to make the cut. Leading the tournament are Min Woo Lee and Pierceson Coody at 10 under par, closely chased by Scottie Scheffler and Robert MacIntyre at 9 under par.
PGA Tour: Matti Schmid’s Outstanding Round Until the Final Hole
At The American Express on the Nicklaus Tournament Course, Matti Schmid took advantage of the excellent conditions with a strong start, birdieing the first hole after a perfect drive and three more birdies on the front nine at the par-5s 4 and 7. His back nine began even stronger with birdies on holes 10 and 11, followed by two more birdies after a par on 12, bringing him to 7 under par. Unfortunately, a mishit second shot on 15 forced a drop and led to his first bogey. He quickly regained momentum with an eighth birdie on 16 and appeared set to finish in the top 20. However, a costly double bogey on the final hole, after another drop and a missed putt, sealed his round at 67, 5 under par, heading into day two at T51.
Stephan Jäger and Sepp Straka Fall Back
Stephan Jäger struggled early on the back nine, posting bogey and double bogey over four holes to reach 3 over par. He recovered with birdies on 16 and 18, finishing with a 1-under 71 and position T118, needing a strong Friday round to reach the weekend. Last year’s champion Sepp Straka had a steady front nine with no birdies but kept it even par. He birdied holes 10 and 13 but bogeyed 15 and double bogeyed 16, ending with an even-par 72 at T131, needing to improve for weekend contention.