Scheffler begins pursuit of 3rd green jacket

Just a couple of weeks ago, Scottie Scheffler thought his game was not quite as sharp as he would have wanted it.

- Associated Press

AUGUSTA: "Sharp" might be a poor word choice given what happened in December.

In any case, Scheffler's game looked—how should we say it?—nicely honed in the opening round of the Masters on Thursday when the defending champion shot a bogey-free 68 to put himself squarely in the mix. Scheffler made two long birdie putts and a couple of nice saves from bunkers on an Augusta National course that was ripe for some red numbers.

"I don't really care what happened in the last few tournaments," said Scheffler, who arrived this week winless for the first time since 2021. "Any time you get close to the lead, it's going to be easier for you to win the golf tournament. That's a simple fact of the matter. You get off to a good start, statistically you're going to have a better chance to win."