Scottie Scheffler got his 2026 PGA Tour season off to a fine start after firing a round of nine-under-par 63 at the American Express.
Scheffler will be hoping to fly out of the blocks this season with an early PGA Tour win.
And the 29-year-old has positioned himself perfectly to do just that after 18 holes of the American Express.
Scheffler looked to be in fine fettle during his American Express practice round, so it should be no surprise that he cruised around La Quinta in 63 on Thursday.
How many majors do you think Scottie Scheffler will win during his career?
The world number one already has four majors under his belt
The world number one has dominated the professional game over the past four years.
And judging by his first round in La Quinta, California, on Thursday, he’s showing no signs of slowing down.
Scottie Scheffler comments on his game after day one of the American Express
Scheffler has all of the tools needed to dominate for many years to come on the PGA Tour.
His opening round of the American Express on Thursday was a joy to watch.
Scheffler made nine birdies and nine pars during his opening round in the desert on Thursday.
He’s currently sitting just one shot adrift of the first round leaders, Min Woo Lee and Pierceson Coody.
The man from Dallas, Texas, will be more than happy with his position with 54 holes still to play, as he chases down his 20th PGA Tour victory.
After his opening round in the Golden State on Thursday, Scheffler delivered an honest verdict on the state of his game right now.
“Yeah, I mean, I got off to a good start today,“ Scheffler said.
“I was really sharp on the front nine, holed some nice putts, hit some good iron shots, a lot of good tee balls.
“I wasn’t as sharp as I would have hoped to be on the back but I scrambled pretty well, and I was able to post a good score.“
Scheffler was then asked whether his mindset changes when playing tournaments where 25-under-par or better will most likely win.
“Oh, I mean, you definitely have to approach it mentally like you got to make some birdies,“ the world number one said.
“And I think putting yourself in position as many times as you can in order to, you know, get some looks and hole some putts, I think is most important. I think if you start forcing things, you can still get in some trouble.
“It’s still quite difficult, believe it or not, even though the scores are low and you just have to keep yourself in position and give yourself opportunities.
“Off to a good start, like you said, maybe I’d like to be a little bit sharper at the ball striking tomorrow, but I was pretty sharp on the front nine today, so maybe just go ahead, hit a few balls and you know get a good feel and get ready for tomorrow.“
Scottie Scheffler’s stats from day one of the American Express
Scheffler’s driving wasn’t up to his usual standards during the opening round of the American Express.
He hit just five of 14 fairways and will be very keen to tighten up his driver swing before round two.
The fact that he still managed to post a round of nine-under-par in spite of hitting his approaches from the cut and prepared just five times is truly remarkable.
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However, Scheffler’s iron play was pinpoint as usual, with 17 greens in regulation to his name.
He was ranked tied first in both scrambling and sands saves, and he finished in a tie for 21st in the putting stats.
Scheffler made shooting 63 look extremely simple at the American Express on Thursday.
The 29-year-old didn’t have his ‘A’ game, so to speak.
However, his ‘B’ game is clearly still more than good enough to not only compete, but win.
That’s a scary thought for Scheffler’s rivals as the 2026 PGA Tour season gets underway.
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