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Scottie Scheffler holes out from 167 yards for eagle on No. 1 at PGA Championship

profilephotocropby:Suzanne Halliburton•05/16/24•

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Clare Grant/Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK

This is the way the No. 1 ranked golfer in the world should start the PGA. Scottie Scheffler eagled the first hole Thursday afternoon at Valhalla.

Scheffler won the Masters, the first major of the season. He also is the hottest golfer on the PGA Tour this season. But he took three weeks off as he and his wife, Meredith, awaited the birth of their first child.

Now that baby boy Scheffler is here, his dad is free to dominate again.

Have a look at his fantastic first hole. After he made it, he gave a couple of waves to the crowd, playing it cool. There’s a lot of golf between now and Sunday.

Scheffler, before he took a paternity break, won four of his past five tournaments. And the non-win was a tie for second. It’s why he’s the overwhelming No. 1 in the world.

But he’ll need to keep the spectacular in his bag of tricks for the PGA. Because several other contenders with early tee times did well on the course, Thursday.

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Xander Schauffele, who is seeking his first major, fired a nine-under par 62 to open the tournament. Oddsmakers considered Schauffele as one of the contenders because his strong long iron game fit perfectly with the layout of Vahalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky. Before Thursday’s opening round, DraftKings sportsbook listed Schauffele’s odds at +1400. Meanwhile, Tony Finau carded a six-under 65 to kick off his PGA first round.

Rory McIlroy, who won the PGA in 2014, also did well. He was in the clubhouse in a tie for fourth after shooting a 66. Oddsmakers gave his chances at +750.

Of course, Scheffler was the favorite coming into the PGA, with odds of +450.

On Thursday, the opening hole was played as the 11th toughest of the 18. It’s a par 4, 487-yarder. Scheffler carded the first eagle. There were 17 birdies and 21 bogeys. Overall, the average score was 4.04.

Scheffler also was taking advantage of some good scoring conditions. He added a birdie on the fourth hole.