LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Xander Schauffele is choosing up proper the place he left off.
For the second time in a lower than a 12 months, the third-ranked participant on the earth tied the document for the bottom spherical at a serious championship by capturing an opening-round 62, this time within the first spherical of the PGA Championship.
A 12 months after he shot a U.S. Open-record 62 within the first spherical on the Los Angeles Nation Membership, Schauffele’s 9-under spherical Thursday featured 9 birdies and no bogeys and broke the Valhalla Nation Membership course document of 63 set by José María Olazábal in 2000, which had been tied for the PGA Championship document.
“I am unable to nitpick,” Schauffele mentioned when requested to match the 2 rounds. “I will take a 62 in any main any day.”
Schauffele, who began on No. 10, birdied 5 of his first 9 holes and carded a 31 earlier than turning over to the entrance 9 and persevering with his birdie march. Over the ultimate eight holes, Schauffele made 4 birdies to open a 3-stroke lead on the morning wave.
Editor’s Picks
By the point he putted for par on No. 9, taking part in alongside Louisville native Justin Thomas, it was clear Schauffele had taken middle stage.
“Once you’re taking part in with one of many best 9 unders you have ever seen, it makes you are feeling such as you’re capturing one million,” mentioned Thomas, who shot a 2-under 69. “Xander, he is such a whole participant. … He is taking part in actually, actually nice golf proper now. So you are feeling like he is a kind of guys, each time he tees it up proper now, he will be in rivalry.”
Schauffele, a San Diego native, is not any stranger to first-round leads at main tournaments. He has the bottom profession first-round scoring common in majors among the many gamers within the subject who’ve appeared in not less than 25 majors. It has but to lead to wins, nonetheless.
Final 12 months, Schauffele’s opening-round 62 on the U.S. Open, which was equaled by Rickie Fowler and tied the first-ever 62 by Branden Grace on the 2017 Open Championship, put him within the driver’s seat for the match. However over the course of the following three days, Schauffele withered and completed tied for tenth following a final-round 72.
Schauffele and top-10 finishes go hand in hand. He has eight of them this season however no victory. That development extends to main championships. Of this 12 months’s subject, solely Fowler (13) has extra top-10 finishes at a serious with no win than Schauffele (12), who has completed inside the highest 10 at three of the previous 5.
Requested whether or not he’s taking part in one of the best golf of his profession, Schauffele could not assist however oblige.
“I might say it’s totally near it if not it,” he mentioned. “I really feel there’s spurts, moments in time the place you are feeling like you’ll be able to management the ball rather well, you are seeing the greens rather well, you are chipping rather well. However over a protracted interval, it is powerful to repairs excessive efficiency.”
RoundScore1st Spherical-402nd Spherical+243rd Spherical-144th Spherical-12– ESPN Stats & Info
Final week on the Wells Fargo Championship, Schauffele had his greatest shot at securing his first PGA Tour win for the reason that 2022 Scottish Open as he led Rory McIlroy by a stroke heading into the ultimate spherical. However a last spherical of even par towards McIlroy’s 6 beneath left Schauffele with one other second-place end — the 14th of his profession.
“I believe not profitable makes you wish to win extra, as bizarre as that’s,” Schauffele mentioned. “For me, not less than, I react to it, and I need it an increasing number of and extra, and it makes me wish to work more durable and more durable and more durable.”
However few gamers are taking part in higher golf than Schauffele is correct now. He ranks inside the highest 10 in strokes gained, and it is solely his placing (forty second this 12 months) that has held him again. Schauffele’s profile fits Valhalla properly; the 7,600-yard course requires gamers to be distinctive with their lengthy irons, and Schauffele tops the PGA Tour this 12 months on method photographs over 200 yards.
On Thursday, Schauffele continued his stellar method play, gaining 2.5 strokes on the sector. On the 498-yard, par-4 No. 6, Schauffele had 246 yards to the outlet and hit it on the inexperienced the place he calmly two-putted for par.
His most spectacular effort, nonetheless, might have been the par-3 No. 8. After airmailing the inexperienced, Schauffele hit an ideal, low pitch that trickled to inside inches for a tap-in par.
With 54 holes to play and loads of leaderboard shifting to return, particularly at a dramatic course like Valhalla, Schauffele is aware of in addition to anybody that what he does Thursday will not matter if he cannot stick with it by means of Sunday.
“It is simply Thursday,” Schauffele mentioned with a smile. “That is about it.”
