Welcome back to the PGA Championship, Scottie Scheffler. After taking three weeks off to be at home for the birth of his son, Bennett, Scheffler holed out for an eagle to start his round at Valhalla Golf Club.
Scottie Scheffler has ARRIVED.#PGAChamp pic.twitter.com/Ky3KNeGNb6
— PGA Championship (@PGAChampionship) May 16, 2024
Before Scheffler's brief break, the No. 1 player in the world was on a winning streak, clinching his second Masters and the RBC Heritage in his last two starts. Outside of a T2 at the Texas Children's Houston Open, Scheffler has won four of his last five events.
Even during his time off, the 27-year-old Texan maintained competitive form through at-home workouts and friendly matches near his home in Dallas.
"I don't really feel like any rust has accumulated," Scheffler said Tuesday at his pre-tournament press conference. "I was able to practice and play a lot at home. I'm able to do stuff at home to simulate tournament golf, especially on the greens, competing and gambling with my buddies, I don't really want to lose to them, either, so I was able to simulate a little bit of competition at home."
If there was any rust, the eagle wiped that clean. The eagle two is an excellent start to try and catch up to Xander Schauffele's nine-under 62, which set the PGA Championship record score Thursday morning.
The 10-time PGA Tour winner is looking for his first career PGA Championship victory. He has posted top 10s in three of his four career appearances at the major, including a T2 last year at Oak Hill.
