Scheffler one off lead of Moore and Furr at PGA Houston Open
LOS ANGELES: World number one Scotie Scheffler started limbering up for the Masters with a bogey-free five-under-par 65 that put him one off the first-round lead shared by Taylor Moore and Wilson Furr at the Houston Open on Thursday.
Moore shook off an opening bogey with an eagle and five birdies in his six-under-par 64 at Memorial Park golf Course.
He was joined atop the board by 276th-ranked Furr, who played his last five holes in four-under with an eagle at the fith and birdies at the eighth and ninth to close his round.
Scheffler, trying to become the first player since Dustin Johnson in 2017 to win three consecutive PGA Tour starts, had set the pace for much of the day as he shook off “a litle rust” from his week off last week.
Scheffler missed the green at his first three holes but got up and down for par at each before rolling in a 12-foot birdie put at the 13th.
He added birdies at the 17th, second, third and fith holes, and while he hit just 11 of 18 greens in regulation he needed just 25 puts.
“I had a solid round,” Scheffler said. “Bogey-free is always nice, especially around a golf course like this. It’s nice to be able to keep the card clean.”
It Scheffler’s 28th consecutive round under par to start the year, the most on record since 1983 according to the PGA Tour.
Perhapsmoreimportantlyscheffler,whoneeded treatment on his neck on his way to victory at the Players Championship, said he was feeling good in his final tune-up for the Masters.
Meanwhile, Thailand’s Pajaree Anannarukarn birdied her last five holes in a nine-under par 63 on Thursday to break free atop a log-jammed leaderboard ater the first round of the LPGA Ford Championship in Gilbert, Arizona.
With five players in the clubhouse on eightunder, Pajaree rolled in a birdie put at her final hole, the ninth to seize a one-shot lead over world number two Lilia Vu of the United States, Spaniards Carlota Ciganda and Azahara Munoz, Germany’s Isi Gabsa and Australian Gabriela Ruffels.
“It was a great day out there,” said Pajaree, who claimed the most recent of her two LPGA titles at last year’s LPGA Match-play. “I actually was in the zone. I didn’t realize that I holed my fith birdie in a row on the ninth green. But it was a great day.”
Pajaree, who matched her career low round on the LPGA tour, said she knew she had the makings of a good round ater her third birdie of the day at the 18th.