Matti Schmid had a strong start at The American Express on the PGA Tour, but a late setback pushed him down the leaderboard.
Matti Schmid began the opening round of The American Express tournament on the PGA Tour with a solid 67, five under par. However, a double bogey on the 18th hole cost him a better result. After day one, he stands tied for 51st place, just two strokes behind the top 20. Stephan Jäger carded a 71, one under par, placing tied 118th. Sepp Straka scored 72 and sits tied for 131st. Both will need significant improvements on Friday to make the cut. Leading the field are Min Woo Lee and Pierceson Coody at 10 under par, followed by a chasing pack including Scottie Scheffler and Robert MacIntyre at 9 under par.
PGA Tour: Matti Schmid’s Outstanding Round Until the Final Hole
Playing under excellent conditions at the Nicklaus Tournament Course, Matti Schmid made an immediate impact with a strong drive near the green on the first hole, setting up a birdie. He followed with two more birdies on the front nine at the par 5s on holes 4 and 7, reaching 3 under par early. His back nine started even better, adding birdies on holes 10 and 11, and after a par on 12, he sank two more birdies to move to 7 under par. On the 15th hole, however, he mishit his second shot and took a drop, resulting in his first bogey. Quickly recovering, Schmid birdied the 16th to get back on track and looked set to finish in the top 20. Unfortunately, a costly mistake on the 18th forced another drop and led to a double bogey, concluding his round at 67, five under par, placing him tied 51st going into day two.
Stephan Jäger and Sepp Straka Fall Back
Stephan Jäger’s round, starting on the back nine, began poorly with a bogey and double bogey in his first four holes, standing at three over par. He improved with birdies on holes 16 and 18 to reach one over par, then had fluctuating scores with additional birdies on holes 5, 8 and the final ninth hole, finishing at one under par. He now sits tied for 118th and will need a strong performance on Friday to make the cut.
For defending champion Sepp Straka, the day did not go as planned. He was bogey-free on the front nine but couldn’t convert good conditions into birdies, finishing the first half