The most impressive thing about Scottie Scheffler’s opening 66 here at the 88th Masters was the ease of its compilation. Certainly the world No 1’s bogeyless performance justified the American commanding odds at the top of the betting market shorter than any favourite since Tiger Woods in his prime.
Rory McIlroy, who was Scheffler’s playing partner, tried to keep the 2022 champion in his sights in a one-under 71. The Northern Irishman had a front-row seat for Scheffler’s masterclass and will appreciate he will now have to locate the afterburners if he is to become only the sixth male player to complete the career grand slam.
It will be a familiar game of catch-up for McIlroy, who was yet again taken by how straightforward Scheffler makes it look.
“It doesn’t look like it’s six under par, and then at the end of the day it’s six under par,” McIlroy said. “He’s just so efficient. If you look at Scottie compared to the rest of the field, the amount of bogey-free rounds he plays and he shoots is phenomenal, and that’s the secret to winning majors.”
But for a short missed putt on the third Scheffler would have a share of the advantage and there were other opportunities on the 15th and 17th. Instead, on six under, Scheffler – who has recorded two wins and a runner-up finish in his last three tournaments – is one behind countryman Bryson DeChambeau.
Of course, DeChambeau announced in 2020 that, for him, Augusta National was a “par 67” and four years later the player formerly known as the Mad Scientist and the Incredible Bulk at last lived up to the boast with this 65.
However, he was humble later, recognising the daftness of that statement that earned him ridicule as he failed to hit anywhere near his supposed par total. DeChambeau has missed his last two Augusta cuts and this was a huge step forwards for the fascinating individual who won the US Open during the pandemic.
The 30-year-old was one of the stars of a Thursday that was predicted to be a wash-out, but which ultimately provided a gripping beginning. Saying that, play was delayed for 2½ hours as storms skirted the Georgia city, but after the brutal forecasts the sense was that Augusta had got away with one. The layout was softened and although the winds picked up throughout the day, the gusts were not as treacherous as first feared.
DeChambeau, out in the fifth group, tore into Alister MacKenzie’s magnificent creation, birdieing the first three and then, after throwing in a bogey on the ninth, he completed the inward nine in 32.
It was an impressive effort by the big-hitting LIV rebel and represented a comeback in the majors from the time when he threatened to revolutionise the game. When he joined LIV in a £100 million deal in 2022, he was not in good shape, but he has toned both his body and his hyperbole.
“I have a level of respect for this course that’s a little different than a couple years ago, and clearly today was a great test, and I was able to conquer a very difficult course,” he said. “Regarding the 67 comment, you know, you mess up. I’m not a perfect person. Everybody messes up. You learn from your mistake, and that was definitely one. It was a perspective I had, and it cost me a lot of slack, I guess you could say. It definitely hurt some things.
“But I shot 65 today, and that was one of the best rounds of golf I’ve played in a long time. There’s three more days to go, and I’m not losing sight of that fact; that it’s right there in front of me. I’ve just got to go execute.”
DeChambeau was watched by LIV chief executive Greg Norman, who for the second day running was in the audience as a paying customer. The Australian would have been thrilled by DeChambeau’s display and especially his astonishing second shot to the par-five 15th when he navigated the ball from the trees over the lake in front of the green.
In some respects that was an anomaly as he is more controlled from the young braggart who wanted to take on every shot and every foe. DeChambeau shot a 58 on his way to a LIV victory at the Greenbrier in August last year and this one-off will always have that positive for the outrageous, but there is a definite maturing.
“Trying to be a robot is always something I’ve tried to do, but it’s not something that’s feasible in this game that’s ever-changing,” he said. “I try to be as repeatable as possible, but it just doesn’t happen.”
On four under is a disbelieving Danny Willett, the 2016 champion from Yorkshire. “Well, this is unexpected, isn’t it?” Willett said with a huge smile after a 68.
That was an understatement. In September, Willett underwent shoulder surgery on a long-term tear and the medical staff warned him that it might take 18 months to return to competition. “I’m back in just over six months,” he said, after a round featuring seven birdies and three bogeys. “I don’t think any of them really would have given me a sniff of playing this week. I just fed off the positive energy.”
Defending champion Jon Rahm shot a disappointing 73, while alongside England’s Matt Fitzpatrick birdied all three holes in Amen Corner to reach four under before bogeying the 14th, 17th and 18th to fall back to a 71.