A final tuneup is underway ahead of the 2023 PGA Championship, and — surprise, surprise — Scottie Scheffler is in contention.
The six-time PGA Tour winner looked like he was going to scare the all-time PGA Tour scoring record in a single round (58, Jim Furyk) through the first part of Thursday. He cooled off late, but he’s still within four of the lead going into Friday’s second round with just three players ahead of him.
Seung Yul Noh leads after 18 holes, and speaking of scaring scoring records, he did so (with some defunct equipment no less!) on Thursday. Noh shot a wild 11-under 60 and leads Adam Scott and Marty Dou by three each after Round 1.
Let’s take a closer look at his first round as well as what to watch for over the next three days.
The leaders
1. Seung Yul Noh (-11)
Noh shot a tournament record 60, gained nine strokes on the field and putted absolutely out of his mind en route to the three-stroke lead. He did all of it with a cracked driver for the latter part of his round. He was finally allowed to replace the club on the 16th hole after playing without one for a few holes.
The reason he wasn’t allowed to replace it earlier was because there has to be subsequent damage, noted referee John Mutch. A crack wasn’t enough to warrant it, but eventually the driver split even more, and Noh got a replacement.
“There was definitely separation in the metal on the face, and there was clear concavity in the face. Concavity renders a club face non-conforming. So the club at that point was unfit for play,” Mutch said.
The real story of Noh’s day, though, was his putter. He made putts of the following distances.
- 15 feet
- 39 feet
- 27 feet
- 34 feet
He gained 6.5 strokes with his putter, which is more than anyone else gained on the day. That’s amazing for him and it almost resulted in a 59, but it also screams “return to the mean” on Friday and beyond.
Others in contention
T2. Adam Scott, Marty Dou (-8)
T4. Jason Day, Luke List, Ryan Palmer, Scott Piercy, Richy Werenski, Scottie Scheffler (-7)
There are a lot of names here at the top of the board, but only one that truly matters. Scheffler shot 64 and gained five strokes on the field. Just another day at the office for the No. 2 player in the world as he’s only lost strokes to the field in three total stroke play rounds in 2023.
What’s amazing about Scheffler is that it doesn’t matter what the style of golf course is or whether it’s playing difficult or easy. He just keeps putting up number after number after number. He’s the 2-1 favorite to win now, and Data Golf says there’s a 33% chance he does so.
Even funnier? After playing his first six holes on Thursday in 6 under, Scheffler was 50% to win a tournament in which he had 66 (!) holes remaining.
“Just a great start,” Scheffler said. “I was just trying to continue it, and then unfortunately I had a three putt and then didn’t take advantage of the par-5, and then I had a couple more bogeys.”
Scheffler played holes 7-13 in 3 over after the smoking start. Then he played the last five in 4 under to get it all back and then some.
“Fortunately I finished off the round really nicely to kind of get back out in front of where I was just because after the great start there was still some gettable holes that I needed to play, and I wasn’t able to take advantage of them, but I finished really strong,” Scheffler said.
AT&T Byron Nelson Odds
Via Caesars Sportsbook
- Scottie Scheffler: 2-1
- Jason Day: 15/2
- Adam Scott: 15/2
- Seung Yul Noh: 9-1
- Si Woo Kim: 22-1
- Hideki Matsuyama: 22-1
Day has been playing like a top-five player in the world so far in 2023, he just doesn’t have the win to show for it. This is a nice spot for him, though. He’s won the Nelson before and won’t be scared of a putting contest. He’d probably like to save it for next week’s PGA Championship, but the best bet at the top of this betting board is Day at +750 going into the final three rounds.
Greg DuCharme and Kyle Porter break down Round 1 of the AT&T Byron Nelson. Scorecards, storylines and betting favorites after SY Noh’s opening round 60 with Scottie Scheffler and Jason Day giving chase. Follow & listen to The First Cut on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.