CJ Cup Byron Nelson: Brooks Koepka also starts strong in early debate with Scotty Scheffler | golf news

Brooks Koepka fired an eight-under 63 to take the clubhouse lead in the first round of the CJ Cup Byron Nelson in Texas.

Four days after the conclusion of the PGA Championship, won by Englishman Aaron Rye, regular Tour action resumes in the US at TPC Craig Ranch with world No. 1 and defending tournament champion Scotty Scheffler topping the field.

But it was former No. 1 and five-time major winner Koepka, playing in a group with Scheffler, who had the most interesting start at McKinney in his 11th appearance on the PGA Tour thanks to a bogey-free opening round featuring six birdies and an eagle.

Starting on the 10th hole, Koepka birdied the par-four 11th, par-five 12th before finding an eagle on the next hole. After another birdie on 14 helped him move to 4-under 31, the American birdied the second, fourth, fifth and sixth en route to a round of 63.

Koepka returned to the PGA Tour this year after four seasons at LIV Golf and recorded a best finish of a tie-ninth at the Cognizant Classic in February. He finished tied for 55th at Aronimink last week and fell out of contention with a 74 on the final day.

“Finally, I felt good with the putter,” Koepka said.

“It felt good the last few days when I was working in my studio. Then when I came here, it felt very comfortable.

“Happy with how everything went today.”

As play continued on Thursday, Koepka led by one shot from a group of five players – Argentina’s Emiliano Grillo, South Korea’s Si Woo Kim, Germany’s Stefan Jaeger and American pair Keith Mitchell and Michael Thorbjornsen – tied at seven under.

Scheffler, a Texan native who shot 31 under par in last year’s tournament to tie the record or the fewest number of strokes in a PGA Tour event, defended his title with a five-under 66.

In a group with Koepka and Kim, starting on the 10th, Scheffler birdied the 12th and 13th before ending his day and going three under through his final five holes, including a round-ending birdie.

“I felt like I was getting lapped for a little bit there,” Scheffler said.

“So I was fortunate to make a few birdies late in the round and put myself in the tournament.

“I think sometimes in this test, once you start falling behind, you can start falling back quite a bit, and it can be hard to catch up. It was good to be in it.

“Overall, it was a fun group. We had good momentum in the group all day. Brooks played great, and Si Wu played really well. Hopefully the next two days will be even more.”

Watch the CJ Cup Byron Nelson live until Sunday on Sky Sports Golf, where Scotty Scheffler is the defending champion. Get Sky Sports or Flow without any contract.

Get the best price and book a round on one of 1,700 courses across the UK and Ireland