Brooks Koepka shot an 8-under 63 to take the clubhouse lead in the first round of The CJ Cup Byron Nelson in Texas.
Four days after the PGA Championship won by Briton Aaron Rai, regular US Tour action resumed at TPC Craig Ranch with world No. 1 and defending tournament champion Scottie Scheffler headlining the field.
But Koepka, a former No. 1 player who won five majors while playing in a group with Scheffler, had the most eye-catching start in McKinney in his 11th PGA Tour appearance thanks to a bogey-free opening round that included six birdies and an eagle.
Koepka made a birdie from the 10th hole to the par 4 11th hole, and found an eagle on the next hole, the par 5 12th hole. An additional birdie on the 14th hole put him at 4 under par for a 31, and the American birdied holes 2, 4, 5 and 6 for a 63.
Koepka returned to the PGA Tour this year after spending four seasons with LIV Golf, and recorded his best result of a tie for 9th place at the Cognizant Classic in February. He tied for 55th at Aronimink last week.
As play continued on Thursday, Koepka was tied at 7 under par, one stroke ahead of a group of five that included Argentina’s Emiliano Grillo, Korea’s Si-Woo Kim, Germany’s Stefan Jaeger and American duo Keith Mitchell and Michael Torbjornsen.
Scheffler, a Texas resident who won last year’s tournament at 31 under par to equal the PGA Tour event record or minimum number of strokes, began her title defense with a 5-under 66.
Scheffler, along with Koepka and Kim, finished the day with birdies on the 10th, 12th, and 13th holes, and then hit 3 under par, including round birdies in the last five holes.
More to follow…
Watch The CJ Cup Byron Nelson on Sky Sports Golf until Sunday, with Scottie Scheffler the defending champion. Access or stream Sky Sports with no contract.
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