Love or Scottie Scheffler, the Dallas resident who recently took home the PGA Championship trophy. After his sensational debut performance on the course, Connolly is now preparing for an early tee time on Friday. The 27-year-old golfer was all-in on the Dallas Stars last night. They were jammed in to witness a euphoric 6-3 stomp of the Edmonton Oilers in Game 1 of the NHL’s Western Conference final at the American Airlines Center. Scheffler’s enthusiasm from the hockey game translated into a bogey-free round at the Colonial Country Club, where he recorded five birdies.
Scheffler, as it happens, is leading the tournament with a three-shot advantage. Nine other contenders are nip and tuck behind him, led by the highest-ranked of that group, J.J. Spaun, 27th in the world rankings. His notable, if not earth shattering, under-the-radar play has catapulted him into deserving territory. Now, he’s determined to find the same success again on the PGA Tour.
Joel Dahmen stole the show with a stunning hole-in-one on the 186-yard 13th hole. His tee shot ended up about 25 feet behind the hole to start. Then, it took a beautiful bounce and landed straight into the hoop! Given that lowlight, Dahmen endured a fruitless day on the greens, collecting seven bogeys and ultimately signing for a 3-over 74.
Jordan Spieth had a notable round, posting a score of 69, which included birdies on two of his last four holes. Scheffler’s perfect round prevented anyone from coming close to catching him on the leaderboard.
Scheffler called his first Tournaments experience at the outdoor NHL game – “Unbelievable!” – and talked about having a blast during the whole event.
“It was fun going to the hockey game last night.” – Scottie Scheffler
His game on the golf course soared after he made the trip to the Big Game. The excitement of supporting his home city’s new NHL franchise surely got him energized too!
T34 after the first round John Pak, a Korn Ferry Tour grad and the tournament’s leader after 18 holes. Pak is now the fifth rookie to carry a first-round lead in an individual PGA Tour event this year. As a Knicks fan, Pak was just as heartbroken at their recent playoff defeat as he was dismayed. That disappointment in part inspired his focus to produce an impressive showing.
“I’m a die-hard Knicks fan, and that was historically one of the worst losses I’ve ever seen in my life.” – John Pak
Pak said that his frustration from the night before was the catalyst that kept him going throughout his round.
“There was a fire lit under me, yeah, this morning. I was a little pissed off about that.” – John Pak
Others, like Tommy Fleetwood and Brian Harman, are only four strokes off the lead. In the background, Scheffler remains as sharp as ever, intent on defending his lead. He admitted he didn’t do a good enough job finding fairways on the demanding course. Yet he was nonetheless able to earn a very strong score amidst the tough grading.
“On a day where I didn’t hit a lot of fairways on a golf course where you have to hit a lot of fairways, I posted a decent score.” – Scottie Scheffler
As Friday approaches, anticipation builds around both Scheffler’s continued success and the outcomes for other competitors like Dahmen and Pak. As each round goes by, anticipation continues to grow following such an exhilarating night of hockey. It will be up to fans to find out how these athletes handle the pressure when tournament glory comes into focus.
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