Scottie Scheffler, competing in his hometown event, shot a remarkable 10-under 61 to take a two-shot lead at the Byron Nelson tournament. Cameron Champ, called as an alternate shortly before tee time, impressed with a 64, joining six others at 7 under. Defending champion Taylor Pendrith scored 67. Scheffler, who missed last year for the birth of his son, highlighted his strong performance, including birdies and an eagle. Rico Hoey matched his best PGA Tour round with a 63. Champ, overcoming recent struggles, aims to regain his former success after a challenging couple of years.
McKINNEY, Texas — Scottie Scheffler is thrilled to return to his hometown event and it shows.
Cameron Champ is also close to familiar territory, a fortunate situation since he received the call to join the Byron Nelson as an alternate just 18 hours before his tee time.
Scheffler turned in 29 on his way to a 10-under 61, claiming a two-shot lead on Thursday over Rico Hoey and Jhonattan Vegas, with Champ among six players another stroke back at 64.
Defending champion Taylor Pendrith recorded a 67, with players permitted to lift, clean, and replace their balls in the fairways following heavy rainfall at the par-71 TPC Craig Ranch on Wednesday.
The top-ranked Scheffler outshone fellow local star Jordan Spieth as the two former Texas Longhorns were paired with Si Woo Kim, a South Korean who also resides in Dallas, featured in an event backed by CJ Group, a conglomerate from his home country.
Kim finished with a 67, ending his round with a thrilling chip-in eagle at the par-5 18th, celebrating by rolling onto his back. Spieth sits at 2 under. Vegas, another Texas alum, played a bogey-free round alongside Scheffler and Hoey.
Others at 7 under, joining Champ, include Stephan Jaeger, Michael Thorbjornsen, Eric Cole, Andrew Putnam, Patton Kizzire, and Will Gordon.
Scheffler missed last year’s event in McKinney for the birth of his first child, son Bennett.
“Jordan and I really enjoy playing here. This tournament has meant a lot to us over the years,” Scheffler noted. “Obviously, I missed last year for some great reasons. I wasn’t too upset about what was happening in my life back then.”
At that time, he had accumulated 10 wins combined before May over a three-year stretch, including the Masters and Players Championship twice each. Today, Scheffler is still searching for his first victory of 2025.
However, he wasn’t performing poorly prior to posting his lowest round of the year. Scheffler placed fourth as the defending champion at Augusta National and has four additional top-10 finishes this year.
“I wouldn’t describe it as anxious or eager, anything like that,” the 13-time winner remarked regarding his pursuit of a win in 2025. “I got off to a solid start today, and there are three more days of the tournament. Just focused on heading home and getting some rest.”
Scheffler birdied four consecutive holes on the front nine, adding another before placing his approach at the par-5 ninth within 5 feet for an eagle, reaching 7 under.
A chip for birdie teetered on the lip at the par-4 11th, which was the second of three pars in a row, before he tied with Hoey with a birdie at 13. Scheffler regained the lead by landing his tee shot on the stadium hole—the par-3 17th—within 3 feet.
Hoey, a 29-year-old from the Philippines aiming for his first PGA Tour victory, started with eight pars on the back nine before an eagle on 18 propelled him to an 8-under finish over his last 10 holes. His 63 matched his career low on the PGA Tour. Hoey’s best result this year was also in Texas, finishing tied for 11th at the Houston Open.
“It’s been a rollercoaster, but compared to the start of last season, I think I’m performing much better,” said Hoey, who claimed a victory on the Canadian tour in 2017 and on the Korn Ferry circuit two years ago. “There are rounds when I really excel, while in others, I haven’t. It’s great to see the momentum starting to build now.”
Champ, who resides in Houston and played for Texas A&M, was at home when he got the call to replace Gary Woodland, who withdrew. He arrived in the Dallas area late Wednesday and countered two bogeys in his first three holes with nine birdies.
The 29-year-old from California won three times between 2019 and 2021 but missed 35 of 55 cuts over the previous two years. This marks just his fourth start of 2025.
“Given last year, where I missed so many cuts by just one stroke—probably 11 or 12—I feel like I’ve been playing fairly well,” Champ remarked. “The past two years have been the hardest I’ve ever worked. I believe my physical abilities are intact; it’s just about regaining the right mental state.”