NASSAU, Bahamas — Scottie Scheffler brought a new approach to the Hero World Challenge and felt good enough to be satisfied with the result, a 5-under 67 that left him three shots behind Cameron Young on Thursday.
Young was playing for the first time since the BMW Championship more than three months ago and found great success on the greens of Albany Golf Club, playing well and hoisting four birdie putts from 15 feet or more in his 64.
He has a two-shot lead over Justin Thomas in his first tournament since his daughter was born a few weeks ago. Thomas rattled off four straight birdies late in his round and was one and a half inches short.
The big surprise was Scheffler, the No. 1 player in golf who looked as good as he had all year in compiling eight victories, including an Olympic gold medal. His instrumental game is unparalleled. His putting has sometimes caused him to not lose more or win more. He decided to try a “saw” grip from about 20 feet or so — the putter sits between his right thumb and fingers, his left index finger pointing down the shaft.
“I’m always looking for ways to improve,” Scheffler said.
Scheffler last year began working with famed pitching instructor Phil Kenyon, and says Kenyon talked about a different pitching technique at the time.
“But it was the first time we worked together and it’s something different than what I’ve done in the past,” said Scheffler. “This year I have thought about it from time to time, it was something we said we should put it on the table for the end of the season, and look at it closely.
“I thought this was a good week to try things out.”
He opened with a wedge to 2 feet and missed a 7-foot birdie putt on the par-5 third. But he birdied the same distance on the next par 5, No. 6, and he covered the 6 foot on the ninth foot to save the division.
His longest putt was his last hole, from 12 feet for the closing birdie.
“I really enjoyed the way I felt,” he said. “I felt like I was seeing some improvement in my stroke.”
Young, considered the best player without a PGA Tour victory, is treating this holiday tournament as the start of a new season. He worked on getting stronger and went back to basics in his powerful golf swing.
And on this day, he got a call about his short game. He only struggled to save par twice and continued to pile on the birdies in his bogey-free round on a beautiful day in the Bahamas.
“The wind wasn’t blowing too much, so there was no pressure,” said Young.
Patrick Cantlay, with Scheffler making his first appearance since the Presidents Cup, was also on 67 with Ludwig Åberg, Akshay Bhatia and Sahith Theegala.
Thomas also took the opportunity to do a little research on the 20-man field. He used a 46-inch driver at home — a little more than an inch longer than his usual driver — in an effort to gain more speed. On a windy day, on a golf course with room outside the tee, he decided to play it.
“Since it’s been a while, I’ve got to just put the club out in front of me and go with it a little bit,” Thomas said. “I kicked the hell out of the back, so it was nice to try something different and make it a little better in the back.”
Thomas said the longer driver gives him 2 or 3 mph in ball speed and 10 more yards in the air.
“It’s very academic, but it’s tried,” he said.
The conditions were easy enough that only four players in the field failed to shine, with Jason Day bringing up the rear with a 75.
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