2026 American Categorical leaderboard: Scottie Scheffler begins season on fireplace

The calendar might have turned to a brand new yr, however Scottie Scheffler is choosing up proper the place he left off. Unable to play in final season’s American Categorical as a result of a hand harm he suffered in the direction of the top of the offseason, the world No. 1 returned to Palm Springs, California, trying to begin his season with no hitch. And that he did.

Scheffler opened with a 9-under 63 at La Quinta Nation Membership, positioning himself one stroke behind Min Woo Lee and Pierceson Coody, each of whom fired 10-under 62s on the Nicklaus Match Course. Scheffler’s 63 represents the bottom rating he has ever carded on the American Categorical as he appears to be like for his first event title in his sixth look.

“You need to strategy it mentally like you need to make some birdies, and I believe placing your self in place as many instances as you’ll be able to in an effort to get some appears to be like and gap some putts, I believe, is most essential,” Scheffler mentioned. “I believe should you begin forcing issues, you’ll be able to nonetheless get in some bother. It is nonetheless golf, it is nonetheless fairly troublesome, imagine it or not, regardless that the scores are low. You simply need to maintain placing your self in place and provides your self alternatives.”

The season couldn’t have began on a greater foot for the four-time PGA Tour Participant of the 12 months. Making birdie on his first two holes, Scheffler’s par on No. 3 was a rarity on his entrance 9 as he penciled three extra circles onto his scorecard from Nos. 4-6. In his first 9 holes, Scheffler had extra 3s (six) than 4s (three) and turned in 30.

Scheffler continued to pepper the middle of the membership face on his again facet as his driver misbehaved ever so barely. Lacking on the proper facet, he was capable of hit each inexperienced in regulation up till the par-4 seventeenth, the place — in typical Scheffler vogue — he chipped in for birdie.

“You bought to maintain tempo out right here,” Scheffler mentioned. “I believe the toughest half about these assessments, the place you need to shoot so low, is you’ll be able to solely shoot so many underneath par in a spherical of golf. I believe, if you have a look at the tougher assessments, there’s all the time a pair guys every spherical which are capable of shoot one thing actually low. The simpler assessments, the place the scores are loopy low, should you begin falling behind, it is so much tougher to maintain up, so you need to maintain tempo out right here.”

Scheffler on Friday heads to the Nicklaus Match Course the place the majority of the names on the leaderboard performed on Thursday. Whereas La Quinta Nation Membership and the Nicklaus Match Course yielded respective scoring averages south of 4 underneath and 5 underneath, the Stadium Course introduced the brunt of the issue for gamers. 

Jason Day proved to be the one up for the problem in Spherical 1 because the Australian signed for a 9-under 63 on the Stadium Course and leads the sector from a strokes-gained perspective with two days of birdie-making alternatives forward of him.

Leaders

T1. Min Woo Lee, Pierceson Coody (-10): After successful in Houston final season, Lee hit a little bit of a lull however got here out of it in the direction of the top of 2025 with a return to Australia, producing some wonderful outcomes. His play again residence carried over to the primary spherical of the yr as the electrical Australian made 10 birdies towards no dropped pictures on Thursday. Lee credited a small tweak for the early success as he made his left hand barely stronger in his grip in the course of the offseason.

“There was a little bit little bit of anxiousness beginning out,” Lee mentioned. “The primary spherical of the yr, little bit of a swing … not change … however one thing that we have been engaged on within the offseason. So, you did not actually know the way it was going to go. … It was an incredible day to make some birdies.”

Contenders

T3. Scottie Scheffler, Robert MacIntyre, Si Woo Kim, S.H. Lee, Vince Whaley, Matt McCarty, Ben Griffin, Jason Day, Patrick Cantlay (-9)
T12. Billy Horschel, Sam Stevens, Jordan Smith, Matthieu Pavon, Andrew Novak, Tom Hoge, Eric Cole, Jacob Bridgeman (-8)

MacIntyre was none too happy about his play halfway by final week’s Sony Open as he snapped his putter over his knee and charged into the weekend with a brand new perspective. Firing the low spherical of the day on Sunday, the left-hander famous that his wedge play had lastly began to cooperate (together with the brand new putter, in fact). On Thursday on the Nicklaus Match Course, he had those self same golf equipment dialed in, resulting in 10 birdies on his scorecard and only one dropped shot, which got here on the par-5 fifteenth.

“I’ve tried to placed on a little bit of pace,” MacIntyre mentioned. “Attempt to hit a bit longer off the tee. Not a lot. It was like 6 yards I used to be making an attempt to realize. I believe I’ve completed that. However then, aside from that, it was wedge play, actually needed to dial within the wedge play. I wasn’t hitting it shut sufficient with a wedge. After I’m a superb putter, the nearer you might be, the higher. It is like anybody, the nearer you might be to the outlet, the higher likelihood you have bought. … Right this moment and final week have been actually good with the wedges; it is good indicators.”

No relaxation for the weary

When was the final time you performed golf eight days in a row? Now, when was the final time you performed eight days of aggressive golf in a row? Recent off a high 20 end within the Bahamas on the Korn Ferry Tour, Blades Brown is in the course of such a run as he hopped on a personal jet — which he acquired factors for by way of his high 20 end in Myrtle Seaside final yr — to catch his tee time in Palm Springs.

Brown opened with a bogey-free 67 at La Quinta Nation Membership in what can solely be described as polar reverse circumstances, as winds have been whipping within the Bahamas all week and never a breath could possibly be discovered Thursday on the American Categorical.

“Completed the spherical, needed to shortly take a bathe after which drove to the airport. Then hopped on a large OneFlight jet,” Brown mentioned. “Ferren Rajput, he was form of sufficient to escort me on the best way right here. It was a six-hour flight. I believe it was his jet, so it was superior. My second time ever flying non-public. It was stunning. 

“Arrived right here round 8 p.m. final evening. Received some Panda Categorical, bought some groceries, slept, began sleeping at 10. Then awoke at round 5, bought right here a little bit early to make a pair putts. It was blowing 30 [mph] all the approach, and you then get right here, after which it is good. So, it is two fully totally different conditions. However I had quite a lot of enjoyable at the moment, and [a] bogey-free spherical, I am going to take that any day of the week.”

2025 American Categorical up to date odds, picks

Odds by way of DraftKings Sportsbook

• Scottie Scheffler: +185
• Jason Day: +1000
• Ben Griffin: +1100
• Robert MacIntyre: +1400
• Patrick Cantlay: +1600
• Min Woo Lee: +1700
• Si Woo Kim: +1800
• Pierceson Coody: +2000

This event continues to be extensive open regardless of Scheffler’s rating and Day blitzing the Stadium Course. I am nonetheless a believer in Cantlay and McCarty, each of whom had nice first rounds. If there was a participant so as to add, it might be Kim, a earlier event winner who sounds rejuvenated along with his putter after a poor efficiency in Hawaii and could also be placing the ball as crisply as anybody not named Scheffler.