Sepp Straka and Scottie Scheffler are tied for the lead after Round 1 of the PGA Tour’s Hero World Challenge. The field remains tight.
Tiger Woods’ invitational event on the PGA Tour, the Hero World Challenge, once again features 20 of the world’s top golfers. On Day 1 at Albany Golf Course in the Bahamas, Austria’s Sepp Straka impressed with a bogey-free 6-under-par round to claim a share of the lead. He is joined at the top by Scottie Scheffler, J.J. Spaun, Akshay Bhatia, and Wyndham Clark.
Scheffler Drops Solo Lead on Final Hole
Scottie Scheffler was in control for most of Thursday, starting strong with birdies on holes 2 and 3. He added another on hole 6 and narrowly missed an eagle on 7, settling for his fourth birdie. At 4-under, he headed to the back nine and added three more birdies on 13, 14, and 15 to tie J.J. Spaun for the lead. Spaun, who teed off earlier, bogeyed the 18th, giving Scheffler the solo lead—briefly. Scheffler also bogeyed the challenging 18th, resulting in a five-way tie heading into Friday.
Flawless Round Puts Straka in Contention
Austria’s Sepp Straka made a strong return in his first individual event since the Tour Championship in August. He opened with a birdie on the first hole and added another on the par-5 third. A steady front nine left him at 2-under, but he caught fire on the back nine. A precise tee shot on 12 led to a birdie, followed by another on 14. He closed with birdies on 17 and 18—holes that challenged many others—to finish at 6-under and tied for the lead.