Matti Schmid started strong at The American Express on the PGA Tour but a late setback dropped him down the leaderboard.
Matti Schmid made a strong 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 finish. After day one, he stands tied for 51st, just two strokes off the top 20. Stephan Jäger carded a 71, one under par, placing him at tied 118th, while Sepp Straka shot a 72, landing 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 group including Scottie Scheffler and Robert MacIntyre at 9 under par.
PGA Tour: Matti Schmid’s impressive round until the final hole
Playing under excellent conditions at the Nicklaus Tournament Course, Matti Schmid capitalized early with a birdie on the first hole. He continued with two more birdies on the front nine at the par-5 holes 4 and 7, positioning himself three under par. On the back nine, he gained momentum with birdies on 10 and 11, and after a par on 12, added two more birdies to reach seven under par. However, a misplayed second shot on 15 forced a drop and led to his first bogey of the day. Recovering quickly, he birdied 16 to get back on track and appeared set to finish in the top 20. Unfortunately, a costly double bogey on the final hole dropped his score to 67 and five under par overall, placing him tied for 51st going into day two.
Stephan Jäger and Sepp Straka fall back
Stephan Jäger had a rough start on the back nine with a bogey and double bogey leaving him three over par after four holes. He improved with birdies on 16 and 18 but a birdie on 3 momentarily set him back before finishing strong with birdies on 5, 8, and the final 9th hole, rounding out with a one under par 71 and tied for 118th place. Meanwhile, defending champion Sepp Straka had a clean front nine but failed to convert scoring chances, posting an even-par 36. He birdied 10 and 13 but bogeys on 15 and a double bogey on 16 hurt his round. Straka birdied 18 to salvage an even-par 72, currently tied for 131st, needing improvement to compete over the weekend.