Matti Schmid made a strong start at The American Express on the PGA Tour but a late setback dropped him down the leaderboard.
Matti Schmid delivered a solid opening round at 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 score. After day one, he sits tied for 51st, only two strokes behind the top 20. Stephan Jäger shot a 71, 1 under par, placing tied for 118th, while Sepp Straka carded a 72 and is tied for 131st. Both will need significant improvement on Friday to make the cut. Leading the tournament 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 impressive round until the final hole
Playing under excellent conditions at the Nicklaus Tournament Course, Matti Schmid started strong. On the first hole, he hit a nice drive close to the green and sank his first birdie of the day. He added two more birdies on the front nine at the par-5 4th and 7th holes, reaching 3 under par. Back nine started even better with birdies on holes 10 and 11, then after a par on 12, he birdied twice more to reach 7 under par. However, a misplayed second shot at the 15th led to a drop and his first bogey. He bounced back immediately with his eighth birdie at 16, seemingly set to finish in the top 20. Unfortunately, a costly mistake on the 18th led to another drop and a double bogey, ending his round at 67, 5 under par, and tied for 51st going into day two.
Stephan Jäger and Sepp Straka fall behind
Stephan Jäger had a tough start on the back nine, with a bogey and double bogey in his first four holes putting him at 3 over par. He then improved with birdies at 16 and 18, finishing the front nine at 1 over par. After an additional birdie on 3, a few setbacks followed, but he finished strong with birdies on holes 5, 8, and the final 9th, closing with a 1 under par round. Currently tied for 118th, Jäger will need a solid round on Friday to make the cut. Last year’s champion