NASSAU, Bahamas — Scottie Scheffler introduced a brand new placing grip to the Hero World Problem and felt sufficient enchancment to be happy with the consequence, a 5-under 67 that left him three pictures behind Cameron Younger on Thursday.
Younger was enjoying for the primary time for the reason that BMW Championship greater than three months in the past and located nice success on and across the greens of Albany Golf Membership, chipping superbly and holing 4 birdie putts from 15 toes or longer for his 64.
He led by two pictures over Justin Thomas in his first competitors since his daughter was born just a few weeks in the past. Thomas ran off 4 straight birdies late in his spherical and was a fraction of an inch away with a fifth.
The large shock was Scheffler, the No. 1 participant in golf who appeared pretty much as good as he has all yr in compiling eight victories, together with an Olympic gold medal. His iron play has no equal. His placing at occasions has stored him from successful extra or successful larger. He determined to attempt to a claw placing grip from about 20 toes or nearer — the putter rests between his proper thumb and his fingers, along with his left index finger pointed down the shaft.
“I’m all the time on the lookout for methods to enhance,” Scheffler mentioned.
Scheffler final yr started working with famend placing teacher Phil Kenyon, and he says Kenyon talked about the choice placing grip again then.
“However it was actually our first time working collectively and it’s one thing that’s completely different than what I’ve performed prior to now,” Scheffler mentioned. “This yr I had considered it every so often, and it was one thing that we had simply mentioned let’s desk that for the tip of the season, check out it.
“Figured this can be a good week to attempt stuff.”
The world No. 1 carried out the claw grip for shorter putts in Spherical 1 of the Hero World Problem.
He opened with a wedge to 2 toes and he missed a 7-foot birdie putt on the par-5 third. However he holed a birdie from about the identical distance on the subsequent par 5, No. 6, and holed a sliding 6-footer on the ninth to avoid wasting par.
His longest putt was his final gap, from 12 toes for a closing birdie.
“I actually loved the way in which it felt,” he mentioned. “I felt like I’m seeing some enhancements in my stroke.”
Younger, thought to be one of the best energetic participant and not using a PGA Tour victory, is treating this vacation event as the beginning of a brand new season. He labored on getting stronger and obtained again to the fundamentals in his highly effective golf swing.
And on this present day, he was dialed in along with his brief recreation. He solely struggled to avoid wasting par twice and stored piling up birdies in his bogey-free spherical on a super day within the Bahamas.
“The wind wasn’t blowing a lot so it was comparatively stress-free,” Younger mentioned.
Patrick Cantlay, together with Scheffler enjoying for the primary time for the reason that Presidents Cup, additionally was at 67 with Ludvig Åberg, Akshay Bhatia and Sahith Theegala.
Thomas additionally took this event to do some experimenting towards a 20-man area. He has utilizing a 46-inch driver at dwelling — just a little greater than an inch longer than his common driver — in a bid to achieve extra velocity. On a day with little wind, on a golf course with some room off the tee, he determined to place it in play.
