AUGUSTA — Not every round is going to have spice. Such was the case with Scottie Scheffler Thursday at the Masters.
With much anticipation, the world No. 1 teed off at 1:44 p.m. ET in front of a substantial gallery, with the sun baking out the course. He would card an eagle on No. 2 and add a birdie on No. 3, putting him just two strokes off the lead with 15 holes left to play.
Then, he hit a bit of wall, playing the rest of his round at 1 under. That yielded a 2-under 70, leaving him T6.
“There were a few putts I felt like I made that lipped out or stayed right on the edge,” the two-time Masters champion said. “But other than that, really, really a lot of good stuff. I hit it nice. Drove it well today. Hit some good iron shots. But it got so firm late in the day. It was pretty challenging.”
This tournament is the first for Scheffler as a father of two. He hasn’t made a start since the Players Championship due to the birth of his second son two weeks ago. He had planned to play the Houston Open, but withdrew because of, well, more important life milestones.
That means Scheffler had not teed it up competitively in three weeks, entering the year’s first major. He didn’t necessarily feel rusty, though.
Two-time Masters champion Scottie Scheffler needs only three strokes to play hole No. 2. #themasters pic.twitter.com/JwxeHXw5Cf
— The Masters (@TheMasters) April 9, 2026
“Typically, I play Houston before I play this tournament, so it was a little bit of a different prep than I’m used to, for good reason,” Scheffler said. “Actually, I committed [to Houston] thinking the baby might come a little bit early, but I was glad I stayed home because I think he came that Friday, so was definitely glad that I wasn’t out of town and I was able to be home for that.”
In fact, Scheffler believes the downtime might benefit him.
“Overall, I felt like I got some good rest,” he said. “I felt like [the Arnold Palmer Invitational] and [the Players Championship] were some—it was good to get home and take my mind off tournament golf for a little bit and get to practice, prepare, and play at home.”
Still, there’s some shots he’d like to have back. Most notably on the par-5 15th, when his birdie putt lipped out. One more birdie, and he’d be two back of the lead with 54 holes to play.
However, there’s no reason to sweat. At last year’s PGA Championship, for example, Scheffler was 5 back of the lead after Round 1.
Remember: the Masters doesn’t start until the back nine on Sunday, as the famous saying goes. And that’ll likely be the spiciest part of the tournament.
It’s expected Scheffler will be right in the mix.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Scottie Scheffler, Despite Layoff, Lurking After Day 1 of Masters.
