Cameron Young holds a two-shot lead after the first round of the Hero World Challenge, with defending champion Scottie Scheffler leading by three for the first time since September. Formal competition.
Young shot a perfect 8-under 64 at the unofficial PGA Tour event in the Bahamas, where Scheffler beat Sepp Straka by three strokes last year to win $1 million. (£800,000).
Scheffler last played at the Presidents Cup in Montreal more than two months ago, shooting a 5-under 67 while trying out a new putter grip at the tournament hosted by Tiger Woods.
The world No. 1 birdied three of his final five holes to move into a five-shot tie for third place, with closest challenger Justin Thomas Young making it six on the back nine. (including four consecutive wins) and shot six under par.
Why did Scheffler change the putter grip?
Scheffler is seeking his ninth global title in 2024 after winning seven times on the PGA Tour – Arnold Palmer Invitational, The Players, Masters, RBC Heritage, Memorial Championship , Travelers Championship, Tour Championship – and Paris Olympic gold.
The 28-year-old said of his saw grip: “I'm always looking for little ways to improve. We thought it would be a good week to try something new.
Scottie Scheffler shoots 5-under 67 while trying out new sawn putter grip in Albany
“I think my putting stroke has some benefits for me – this grip is more effective than my previous grip, so I'm doing some testing. That's how I would describe it.
“The longer I putt with the old grip, because I have a better feel for the speed. The closer I get to the hole, the more I can do with the other grip.
“I haven't had enough time to fully get used to the speed of it, and my long-distance touch is really good, which is something I probably don't want to change too much.”
Thomas had six birdies on the back nine, including four in a row
Europeans Oberg and McIntyre get off to a good start
Sweden's Ludwig Aberg and Scotland's Robert McIntyre lead the European competition in Albany at 5 and 4 under respectively, with Austria's Straka lower. At par 3, England's Aaron Rye is 1 under and France's Mathieu Pavin is 2 over.
The Hero World Challenge is a 20-player, no-elimination event that does not award FedExCup points, but does award World Ranking points as it is officially recognized by the OWGR (Official World Golf Ranking).
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Young, the leader who has yet to win a PGA Tour title, had five birdies on the front nine and then went home with three more.
Young's fellow American, Nick Dunlap, was 7 under after 15 holes but then missed the par putt from within five feet, bogeyed 16, and then He made 18 double bogeys after getting wayward off the tee and being forced to drop.
Watch the second round of the Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas live sky sports golf From 6.30pm on Friday. Coverage continues throughout the weekend sky sports and now.
