Matti Schmid had a strong start at The American Express on the PGA Tour but a late setback drops him down the field.
Matti Schmid made an impressive start at the opening round of The American Express tournament on the PGA Tour, shooting a 67, 5 under par. However, a double bogey on the 18th hole prevented an even better score. He currently stands at T51 after the first day, just two strokes shy of the top 20. Stephan Jäger shot a 71, 1 under par, sitting tied at 118th, while Sepp Straka carded a 72, tied at 131st. They will need to significantly improve on Friday to make the cut. Leading the field are Min Woo Lee and Pierceson Coody at 10 under par, followed closely by a 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 tournament on the Nicklaus Tournament Course, Matti Schmid faced excellent conditions and took advantage immediately. On the first hole, he hit a beautiful drive close to the green and sunk the first birdie of the day. Two more birdies followed on the front nine, both on the par 5 holes 4 and 7. On hole 7, his perfectly placed drive set him up well, moving to 3 under par.
Schmid’s back nine started even better. Birdies on holes 10 and 11, followed by a par on 12, then two more birdies brought him to 7 under par. However, on hole 15, a poor second shot forced a drop and led to his first bogey. He quickly bounced back with his eighth birdie on hole 16, positioning himself for a top 20 finish. Unfortunately, a costly mistake on the last hole resulted in another drop and a double bogey, finishing his round at 67, 5 under par, heading into day two tied 51st.
Stephan Jäger and Sepp Straka Fall Back
Stephan Jäger started poorly on the back nine with bogey and double bogey in the first four holes, reaching 3 over par. He recovered somewhat