Matti Schmid delivered a strong start at The American Express on the PGA Tour, but a late setback dropped him in the standings.
Matti Schmid started strong at the opening round of The American Express tournament on the PGA Tour, posting a 67, five under par. However, a double bogey on the 18th hole prevented an even better score, leaving him tied 51st, just two strokes off the Top 20. Stephan Jäger shot a 71, one under par, placing him at T118, while Sepp Straka carded a 72 and lies at T131. Both will need to improve significantly on Friday to make the cut. Leaders Min Woo Lee and Pierceson Coody top the leaderboard at 10 under par, with a chasing group including 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 started under excellent conditions. He opened with a strong drive close to the green and sank the first birdie of the day. Two more birdies came on the front nine at the par-5 4th and 7th holes, the latter after a perfectly placed drive. Starting the back nine even better, Schmid made birdies at holes 10 and 11, then after a par on 12, added two more birdies to reach seven under par. However, a poor second shot on 15 forced a drop and resulted in his first bogey. He bounced back quickly with an eighth birdie on 16, seemingly securing a top 20 finish. Unfortunately, a costly mistake on 18 led to another drop and a double bogey, concluding his round at 67, five under par, and tied 51st heading into day two.
Stephan Jäger and Sepp Straka fall behind
Stephan Jäger had a tough start on the back nine with a bogey and double bogey in four holes, sitting three over par early on. He recovered with birdies on 16 and 18 to improve to one over par, followed by more birdies on holes 5, 8, and the closing 9th,