MCKINNEY, Texas: Scottie Scheffler shot his best round of the season, a 10-under-par 61, to set the pace on the first day of the CJ Cup Byron Nelson on Thursday in McKinney, Texas.

When Scheffler’s final putt dropped in the late afternoon at TPC Craig Ranch, he had a two-stroke lead over Rico Hoey of the Philippines and Jhonattan Vegas of Venezuela.

The world No. 1 is still seeking his first win of the year after racking up seven PGA Tour titles in 2024. With eight birdies, an eagle and no bogeys Thursday, Scheffler put himself in prime position to break through and win in his home state of Texas for just the second time in his pro career.

A Dallas native, Scheffler said he wasn’t too broken up about missing last year’s Byron Nelson since he had a good reason — the birth of his first child. But he was glad to be back, and he played like it.

“It’s a ton of fun for us to be able to play in front of the fans here at home,” Scheffler said. “Jordan (Spieth) and I love playing here this week. This tournament has meant a lot to us over the years, and so it’s really good to be here this week playing again.”

Scheffler ran off four birdies in a row starting at the third hole. His irons and wedges were dialed in, as he put his tee shot at the par-3 fourth to about 4 feet of the pin and his approach at the par-4 sixth to just 2 feet.

He made a 4-footer for eagle at the par-5 ninth to go out in 7-under 29.

“I hit some good shots to start the round, gave myself some looks, and was able to capitalize with a good iron shot on 3 and hit another iron shot on 4,” Scheffler said. “I kept hitting fairways and greens. Hit that nice pitch into 6, good pitch into 5 as well. Was able to take advantage of the holes I needed to on the front nine, like 5 and 6 are holes you got to take advantage of, and 9 as well.”

Scheffler made just one birdie over the next seven holes before sticking his tee shot at the par-3 17th to 2 feet. He had a 26-foot eagle putt at the par-5 18th that would have given him a round of 60, and it came up just a few feet shy.

Scheffler rocketed past Hoey, who had the early lead with an 8-under 63. He opened on the back nine with eight straight pars before making a 36 1/2-foot eagle putt at No. 18, followed by a run of five birdies between the second and sixth holes.

“The eagle was great,” Hoey said. “I knew it’s a long track and being first off it’s just hard to get your mind and body going. I did that, and felt like I was playing well.”

Vegas sank an eagle of his own, but it came on a par-4. The 40-year-old drained a 44 1/2-foot uphill putt at the 14th hole to go with six total birdies.

Vegas missed his previous four cuts before this week.

“You can’t really get too caught up on playing good or bad,” Vegas said. “Just keep doing your work and at the end of the day believe you’re doing the right things.

“Feel like I’ve been doing the right things, put in the work. We know this: If you do the right things, at some point things are going to turn the right way.”

Tied at 7-under 64 were Patton Kizzire, Will Gordon, Cameron Champ, Michael Thorbjornsen, Eric Cole, Andrew Putnam and Germany’s Stephan Jaeger.

Defending champion Taylor Pendrith of Canada opened with a 4-under 67. Spieth turned in a 2-under 69.

Joaquin Niemann was virtually flawless Sunday, firing a 6-under-par 65 at Club de Golf Chapultepec to earn his third championship of the season at LIV Golf Mexico City.
Niemann began his day two shots off the lead, but three birdies on his first seven holes put him in an enviable position. He added birdies on Nos. 10, 12, 16 and 18 to finish three strokes in front of the field at 16 under for the tourney.
The win came in front of family and friends.
“Yeah, it’s special,” Niemann said. “My mom came all the way. I think the first time my mom has seen me win, so that’s pretty cool. So yeah, I had my mom here, Didi, my wife, my friends, my team. It’s been a really good couple months, so yeah, happy.”
The Torque GC captain from Chile had one bogey, on the 14th.
Following his third tournament win, Niemann remains in the lead for the individual season-long championship, a title that narrowly evaded him in 2024 as he finished second to Jon Rahm.
He also locked in a spot at the US Open in June.
“Yeah, it’s nice,” Niemann said. “I feel like I wanted to be there (at the US Open), so yeah, it’s great to keep doing what I’m doing, hitting the ball great, making putts, and yeah, hopefully keep it rolling.”
The 26-year-old was barely pressed late, with the best charge coming from the incredible round turned in by Ripper GC’s Lucas Herbert, a 10-under 61 beauty that featured an eagle and eight birdies.
Herbert essentially ran out of runway to complete the comeback, coming into the day too far behind the leaders to catch up. However, he did help Cameron Smith’s (72) Ripper squad finish in second in the team standings, behind Jon Rahm’s (68) Legion XIII.
“Just one of those rounds where everything comes together,” Herbert said. “I thought I played pretty decent the last two days, I just didn’t get many breaks, and I just felt like today every time there was a line ball sort of thing I got the right kick and I’d make a putt where I needed to or just anything — just that sort of stuff. It just kept the momentum going through the round.
“Look, I played great, really enjoyed feeling everything I felt the last few holes, but it’s just one of those rounds where it all just clicks for you, and it was a pretty cool feeling to do it at an event like this.”
Bryson DeChambeau, leading the pack coming into the day, was attempting to go wire-to-wire but came up well short with a final-round 71 and had to settle for a tie for second with Herbert at 13 under.
Rahm was fourth among individuals at 12 under, while Smith and Legion’s Tyrrell Hatton (68) finished in a tie for fifth (11 under).
“It’s pretty hard to make it more special than this moment right now,” Niemann said. “I mean, this place is amazing. It was a good battle with Bryson, with Cam, so I’m happy to be in this position right now.”
Torque finished the tournament in third place, while 4Aces was fourth.