Matti Schmid started strongly at The American Express PGA Tour event but a late setback pushed him down the leaderboard.
Matti Schmid made an impressive start at the opening of The American Express tournament on the PGA Tour, shooting a round of 67, five under par. However, a double bogey on the 18th hole prevented an even better score. After the first day, he is tied for 51st place, just two strokes behind the top 20. Stephan Jäger scored a 71, one under par, placing him at T118. Sepp Straka shot 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 group including Scottie Scheffler and Robert MacIntyre at 9 under par.
PGA Tour: Matti Schmid’s Strong Round Until the Final Hole
At The American Express on the Nicklaus Tournament Course, Schmid played under excellent conditions. He started well with a precise drive near the green and a successful birdie on the first hole. He added two more birdies on the front nine, both on par 5s, holes 4 and 7. The back nine started even better with birdies on holes 10 and 11, then after a par on 12, two more birdies brought him to 7 under par. On the 15th hole, Schmid mishit his second shot, taking a drop and resulting in his first bogey. He quickly recovered with his eighth birdie on 16 and seemed on track to finish in the top 20. However, a major mistake on the last hole, including a drop and a missed putt, led to a double bogey and a final score of 67, five under par, placing him T51 going into the second day.
Stephan Jäger and Sepp Straka Fall Back
Stephan Jäger had a rough start on the back nine, with a bogey and double bogey in the first four holes putting him at 3 over par. He rebounded with birdies on 16 and 18 to improve to 1 over, but after a birdie on 3 he faltered again before finishing strong with birdies on 5, 8, and the final hole to complete a 1-under-par round. Currently tied for 118th, he will need a strong second round to make the cut. Last year’s champion Sepp Straka had an uneven round as well. A clean front nine without birdies resulted in even par 36, followed by birdies on 10 and 13. However, bogey on 15 and double bogey on 16 set him back. He managed a birdie on 18 to finish even par and currently sits at T131, requiring improvement to compete through the weekend.