Matti Schmid started strong at The American Express PGA Tour event but a late setback pushed him down the leaderboard.
Matti Schmid made an impressive start at the tournament kickoff on the Nicklaus Tournament Course, shooting a 67, five under par. However, a double bogey on the 18th hole prevented an even better finish, placing him tied for 51st but just two strokes behind the top 20 after day one. Meanwhile, Stephan Jäger shot a 71 (one under par) and sits at T118, while defending champion Sepp Straka made a 72, tied for 131st. Both will need significantly better rounds on Friday to make the cut. Leading the field are Min Woo Lee and Pierceson Coody at 10 under par, followed closely by a chasing pack including Scottie Scheffler and Robert MacIntyre at nine under par.
PGA Tour: Matti Schmid’s outstanding round until the final hole
Playing under excellent conditions, Schmid capitalized early with a birdie on the first hole after a well-placed drive. He added two more birdies on the front nine at the par 5s on holes 4 and 7, reaching three under par. His back nine started even stronger with birdies on holes 10 and 11, followed by another pair of birdies after a par on 12, moving to seven under. Unfortunately, a misplayed second shot on 15 forced a drop and led to his first bogey. He quickly recovered on 16 with his eighth birdie of the day and looked set to finish in the top 20. However, a costly double bogey on the final hole dropped him back, concluding his round at 67, five under par, heading into day two tied for 51st.
Stephan Jäger and Sepp Straka fall back
Jäger had a rough start on the back nine with a bogey and double bogey across four holes, reaching three over par. He then improved steadily with birdies on holes 16 and 18, finishing the front nine at one over. Additional birdies on holes 5, 8, and the final ninth hole helped him close the round at one under par, tied 118th, requiring a strong Friday performance to advance. Last year’s champion Sepp Straka had an uneventful front nine, scoring even par with no birdies. He found some rhythm with birdies on holes 10 and 13 but stumbled with a bogey on 15 and double bogey on 16. He ended the day with a birdie on 18, finishing even par and tied for 131st, leaving much work to do to stay in the weekend competition.