McKINNEY, Texas (AP) – Scottie Scheffler is happy to be back at his hometown event and showed it.
Cameron Champ isn’t far from familiar territory, either, which is a good thing considering he got the call that he was in the Byron Nelson as an alternate about 18 hours before his tee time.
Scheffler made the turn in 29 on his way to a 10-under 61 on Thursday for a two-shot lead over Rico Hoey and Jhonattan Vegas, with Champ among seven players another shot back at 64.
Defending champion Taylor Pendrith shot 67 with players allowed to lift, clean and replace their shots in the fairways after the par-71 TPC Craig Ranch got heavy rainfall Wednesday.
The top-ranked Scheffler outshined fellow hometown star Jordan Spieth with the former Texas Longhorns paired together along with Si Woo Kim, a South Korean who also calls Dallas home and was showcased in an event sponsored by CJ Group, a conglomerate based in his home country.
Kim shot 67, capping his round with a lofty chip-in for eagle at the par-5 18th and rolling onto his back in celebration. Spieth is 2 under. Vegas, another Texas alum, had a bogey-free round along with Scheffler and Hoey.
Scottie Scheffler watches his drive on the sixth tee during the first round of the CJ Cup Byron Nelson golf tournament, Thursday, May 1, 2025, in McKinney, Texas. (AP Photo/Gareth Patterson)
The others at 7 under with Champ are Stephan Jaeger, Michael Thorbjornsen, Eric Cole, Andrew Putnam, Patton Kizzire and Will Gordon.
Scheffler missed last year’s event in Dallas’ northern suburb of McKinney for the šš¢š«šš” of his first š¤š©šŖšš„, son Bennett.
“Jordan and I love playing here. This tournament has meant a lot to us over the years,” Scheffler said. “Obviously last year I was missing for some pretty good reasons. I wasn’t too sad about what was going on in my life at the time.”
Back then, he had 10 wins combined before May over a three-year stretch, including the Masters and Players Championship twice each. Now, Scheffler is still seeking the first victory of 2025.
Not that he was playing poorly before posting his lowest round of the year. Scheffler finished fourth as the defending champion at Augusta and has four other top-10 finishes this year.
“I wouldn’t say anxious or eager, anything like that,” the 13-time winner said of seeking his first victory in 2025. “I got off to a pretty good start today, and there’s three more days of the tournament. Just focused on going home and getting some rest.”
Scheffler birdied four consecutive holes on the front nine and added one more before putting his approach at the par-5 ninth inside 5 feet for an eagle to get to 7 under.
A chip for birdie stopped on the lip at the par-4 11th, the second of three consecutive pars before he pulled even with Hoey with a birdie at 13. Scheffler took the lead by putting his tee shot on the stadium hole – the par-3 17th – inside 3 feet.
Hoey, a 29-year-old from the Philippines seeking his first PGA Tour victory, started with eight pars on the back nine before an eagle on 18 triggered an 8-under finish over his final 10 holes. His 63 tied his career low on the PGA Tour. Hoey’s best finish this year also was in Texas, a tie for 11th at the Houston Open.
“ItĀ“s been up and down, but from the start of the last season and comparing it, I think IĀ“m doing a way better job,” said Hoey, who won on the Canadian tour in 2017 and the Korn Ferry circuit two years ago. “Just feel like there are rounds IĀ“ve been clicking; other rounds I havenĀ“t put it up. Kind of nice to get the momentum rolling now.”
Champ, who lives in Houston and played at Texas A&M, was home when he got the call that he was replacing Gary Woodland, who withdrew. He made it to the Dallas area Wednesday night and countered two bogeys in his first three holes with nine birdies.
The 29-year-old from California won three times from 2019-21 but missed 35 of 55 cuts over the previous two years. This is just his fourth start of 2025.
“Considering last year, how many cuts I missed by one, it was like 11 or 12 or something, I havenĀ“t really been playing that bad,” Champ said. “The last two years is probably the hardest IĀ“ve ever worked. Feel like my physical abilities are there. ItĀ“s just getting back to the right mental state.”
Spieth and Danny Walker had to pause to clean spikes after wayward tee shots into muddy territory. Walker’s cleaning delay lasted several minutes, including others helping by splashing the soles with bottled water.
Walker, playing in the group ahead of Spieth, ended up with a bogey on the par-4 11th on his way to a 68. Spieth scrambled for a par-4 at No. 3 after barely missing the water while putting his tee shot in a waste area.
___
AP golf:Ā https://apnews.com/hub/golf
Rico Hoey, right, and his caddie approach the 8th green during the first round of the CJ Cup Byron Nelson golf tournament in McKinney, Texas, Thursday, May 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Gareth Patterson)
Jordan Spieth follows through on his shot off the sixth tee during the first round of the CJ Cup Byron Nelson golf tournament in McKinney, Texas, Thursday, May 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Gareth Patterson)
Jordan Spieth, left, and Scottie Scheffler, right, walk the sixth fairway together during the first round of the CJ Cup Byron Nelson golf tournament in McKinney, Texas, Thursday, May 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Gareth Patterson)
Si Woo Kim hits off the sixth tee during the first round of the CJ Cup Byron Nelson golf tournament in McKinney, Texas, Thursday, May 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Gareth Patterson)
Cameron Champ watches his shot off the ninth tee during the first round of the CJ Cup Byron Nelson golf tournament in McKinney, Texas, Thursday, May 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Gareth Patterson)