Matti Schmid had a strong start at The American Express PGA Tour event but a late setback pushed him down the leaderboard.
Matti Schmid started The American Express tournament on the PGA Tour with an impressive round of 67, five under par. However, a double bogey on the 18th hole cost him a better score, placing him T51 after the first day but only two shots off the top 20. Stephan Jäger scored a 71, one under par, placing T118, while Sepp Straka carded a 72 and is T131. Both will need to improve significantly on Friday to make the cut. Min Woo Lee and Pierceson Coody lead the field at 10 under par, followed by a chasing pack including Scottie Scheffler and Robert MacIntyre at nine under par.
PGA Tour: Matti Schmid’s stellar round until the final hole
At The American Express tournament on the Nicklaus Tournament Course, Matti Schmid started his round in excellent conditions. He immediately took advantage, hitting a precise drive close to the green on the first hole and sinking his first birdie of the day. Two more birdies followed on the front nine, both on par-5 holes 4 and 7. On the 7th, he perfectly placed his drive on the fairway to get to three under par.
His back nine began even stronger with birdies on holes 10 and 11, a par on 12, and two more birdies bringing him to seven under par. However, on hole 15 he mishit his second shot and had to take a drop, resulting in his first bogey. He quickly recovered with an eighth birdie on 16 and seemed set to finish the day in the top 20. Unfortunately, on the last hole, he made a costly mistake, requiring another drop and eventually scoring a double bogey, ending his round at 67 and five under par, placing T51 heading into day two.
Stephan Jäger and Sepp Straka fall behind
Stephan Jäger started poorly on the back nine with a bogey and double bogey in his first four holes, falling to three over par. He improved with birdies on 16 and 18, then had a minor setback on hole 3 but recovered with birdies on holes 5, 8, and the final 9th hole to finish at one under par. Positioned T118, he will need a strong second round to make the cut.
Last year’s champion Sepp Straka had an uneven day. He played a clean front nine with no birdies, scoring an uneventful even-par 36. His first birdie came on the 10th hole, followed by another on 13. However