Brooks Koepka fired a storming eight-under 63 to take the clubhouse lead in the first round of the The CJ Cup Byron Nelson in Texas.
Four days on from the conclusion of the PGA Championship, won by Englishman Aaron Rai, regular tour action in the US resumed at TPC Craig Ranch with world No 1 and defending tournament champion Scottie Scheffler headlining the field.
But it was former No 1 and five-time major winner Koepka, playing in a group alongside Scheffler, who made the most eye-catching start in McKinney on his 11th appearance back on the PGA Tour thanks to a bogey-free opening round featuring six birdies and one eagle.
Starting from the 10th hole, Koepka birdied the par-four 11th before finding an eagle at the next hole, the par-five 12th. After a further birdie at the 14th helped him go out in a four-under 31, the American birdied the second, fourth, fifth and sixth on his way in for a round of 63.
Koepka has returned to the PGA Tour this year after four seasons on LIV Golf and has so far recorded a best finish of tied-ninth at the Cognizant Classic in February. He finished tied 55th last week at Aronimink after sliding out of contention on the final day with a 74.
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“Finally, I felt good with the putter,” said Koepka.
“I felt good the last few days with it when I was working in my studio. Then when I got here, it felt very comfortable.
“Just happy with the way everything went today.”
As it stands with Thursday’s play continuing, Koepka leads by one shot from a group of five players – Argentina’s Emiliano Grillo, South Korea’s Si Woo Kim, Germany’s Stephan Jaeger and American duo Keith Mitchell and Michael Thorbjornsen – tied on seven under.
Texan resident Scheffler, who won last year’s tournament on 31 under par to equal the record or the fewest amount of strokes in a PGA Tour event, opened his title defence with a five-under 66.
In the group with Koepka and Kim, starting at the 10th, Scheffler birdied the 12th and 13th before finishing his day by going three under through his final five holes, including a round-ending birdie.
“I felt like I was getting lapped out there for a little bit,” said Scheffler.
“So I was fortunate to make a couple birdies late in the round and keep myself in the tournament.
“I feel like sometimes in these tests, once you start getting behind, you can start falling pretty far behind, and it can be difficult to catch up. It was nice to stay in it.
“Overall, it was a fun group. We had good momentum in the group the whole day. Brooks played great, and Si Woo played really nice as well. Hopefully more of that the next couple days.”
Watch the The CJ Cup Byron Nelson live until Sunday on Sky Sports Golf, where Scottie Scheffler is the defending champion. Get Sky Sports or stream with no contract.
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