McKINNEY, Texas — It’s not often that the No. 1 player in the world sounds like he’s chasing rather than setting the pace. Especially in a tournament as meaningful to him as this one.
But that was the tone Scottie Scheffler sounded at Thursday’s CJ Cup Byron Nelson.
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The defending champions, paired with Brooks Koepka and Si-woo Kim, spent much of the afternoon playing one step behind and never quite found the rhythm that defined their dominant victory a year ago. For a long time, he hovered, watching other players apply early pressure.
But Scheffler did what the game’s top players tend to do — he found something late.
A few late birdies stabilized the round, regained some momentum, and turned what looked like a missed opportunity into a quietly productive 5-under 66 that put him well within range for another weekend push on familiar ground.
more: CJ Cup Byron Nelson Live Scoreboard Update: Will Scottie Scheffler repeat?
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“I felt like I was a little behind the laps, so I was lucky to make some birdies late in the round and stay in the tournament,” Scheffler said. “Sometimes in tests like this, you feel like once you start falling behind, you start to fall so far behind that it can be hard to catch up. I’m glad I managed to stay within that range.”
“Overall, it was a fun group. There was good momentum within the group all day long. … Brooks played great, Siu played really well as well. Hopefully we can build on that even more over the next few days.”
May 21, 2026. McKinney, Texas, USA. THE CJ CUP Scotty Scheffler hits a shot from the 14th tee during the first round of the Byron Nelson Golf Tournament. Required Credit: Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images
Scheffler currently holds the record for 31 consecutive top-25 finishes on tour and is seeking his third win in Texas, following last year’s dominant victory there and his win at the now-defunct Dell Match Play event at Austin Country Club in 2022.
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But Scheffler was struggling to catch up as Kim birdied four of the first eight holes and Koepka also birdied with an eagle on his second hole.
May 21, 2026. McKinney, Texas, USA. THE CJ CUP Brooks Koepka shakes hands with Scotty Scheffler after his round on the 9th green during the first round of the Byron Nelson Golf Tournament. Required Credit: Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images
But he didn’t panic and finished with birdies on three of the final five holes.
“It’s still early in the tournament. It’s still golf. You can’t force it,” he said. “The worst thing you can do is hit a sloppy bogey and give up the shot trying to push it in there. So just pick your spot and see what you can do.”
Scotty Scheffler’s History at Byron Nelson
year | finish | Score (up to par) | Precautions |
|---|---|---|---|
2025 | 1 | -31 | Won by 8 strokes. PGA Tour 72-hole scoring record tied (253) |
2024 | Dai Nippon Printing Co., Ltd. | — | Didn’t play (birth of first child) |
2023 | T5 | -20 | Battle at Craig Ranch |
2022 | T15 | -19 | Another week of low scores |
2021 | T47 | -11 | Start at TPC Craig Ranch |
2019 | T3 | -twenty one | Early career battle breaks out (Trinity Forest era) |
2014 | T22 | – 4 | PGA Tour debut as a 17-year-old amateur |
Scheffler putts the ball well, recording putts of more than 92 feet this morning, and if he can continue that trend, he hopes to join the leaders Sunday.
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“It’s like going through the ups and downs, and putting is something special. Especially when the wind is blowing, or on greens that aren’t very sloped, there’s going to be a change and it’s going to change how things are going to be,” Scheffler said. “Overall, I feel like I’m in a good place. In fact, this year I’ve been doing the best I’ve ever done in my career and I’m trying to kind of reset, get on some new greens, work on the leads and check all the basics.”
“I think golf is on the rise and fall, so I just keep working on what I feel I need to work on and keep doing it.”
Tim Schmidt is Golfweek’s editor-in-chief.
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Scottie Scheffler rallies late in first round at Byron Nelson
