NASSAU, Bahamas — Scottie Scheffler brought a new shot to the Hero World Challenge and felt enough improvement to be happy 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 enjoyed great success on and around the greens at the Albany Golf Club, chipping beautifully and sinking four birdie putts of 15 feet or more for his 64.
He led Justin Thomas by two strokes in his first competition since the birth of his daughter a few weeks ago. Thomas made four straight birdies at the end of his round and was a fraction of an inch away with a fifth.
The big surprise was Scheffler, golf’s No. 1 player who looked as good as he did all year compiling eight victories, including an Olympic gold medal. His iron game has no equal. His putting sometimes kept him from winning more or winning more. He decided to try a claw grip about 20 feet or closer — the putter rests between his right thumb and fingers, with his left index finger pointing toward the bottom of the shaft.
“I’m always looking for ways to improve,” Scheffler said.
Scheffler began working with famed putting instructor Phil Kenyon last year, and he says Kenyon mentioned the putting grip alternative at the time.
“But it was really the first time we worked together and it’s something different than what I’ve done in the past,” Scheffler said. “This year I had thought about it from time to time, and it was something we just said, let’s save this for the end of the season, take a look at it.
“I thought it was a good week to try things.”
Scottie Scheffler changes grip during first round of Hero World Challenge
The world number 1 implemented the claw grip for shorter putts in the first round of the Hero World Challenge.
He opened with a wedge to 2 feet and he missed a 7-foot birdie putt on the par-5 third. But he birdied about the same distance at the next par-5, No. 6, and made a sliding 6-footer at the ninth to save par.
His longest putt was on his final hole, 12 feet for a final birdie.
“I really enjoyed how I felt,” he said. “I felt like I was seeing improvements in my stroke.”
Young, considered the best active winless player on the PGA Tour, views this holiday tournament as the start of a new season. He worked to get stronger and got back to basics with his powerful golf swing.
And that day, he was listening with his short game. He only struggled to save par twice and continued to rack up birdies during his bogey-free round on an ideal day in the Bahamas.
“The wind wasn’t blowing much, so it was relatively stress-free,” Young said.
Patrick Cantlay, as well as Scheffler playing for the first time since the Presidents Cup, were also 67 along with Ludvig Åberg, Akshay Bhatia and Sahith Theegala.
Thomas also took advantage of this opportunity to do some experiments against a field of 20 players. He uses a 46-inch driver at home – just over an inch longer than his usual driver – in an effort to gain more speed. One day with little wind, on a golf course with some space off the tee, he decided to put it in play.
“Just with it being a little bit longer, I just have to kind of get the club in front of me and grab a little bit more of a grip on it,” Thomas said. “I came out flat on my back, so it was good to try something different and have it go a little better on my back.”
Thomas said the longer driver gave him 2 or 3 mph ball speed and an extra 10 yards in the air.
“It’s very course-specific, but I tried,” he said.
Conditions were easy enough that only four players in the field failed to break par, with Jason Day bringing up the rear with a 75.
