World No. 1 Scotty Scheffler made an impressive return to action in his first appearance of 2026, shooting a 63 after an early bounce in a low-score-dominated first round at The American Express in California.
The PGA Tour’s second tournament of the season features 156 players on three different courses at La Quinta before cutting to 54 holes at the end of Saturday, with the final round taking place at Pete Dye Stadium.
Returning to action for the first time since finishing tied for fourth at the Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas in early December, Scheffler – who won six times on tour last year, including major victories at the PGA Championship and The Open Championship – immediately marked his return in statement style by birdieing five of his first six holes.
Playing at the La Quinta Country Club course, Scheffler soon added another birdie on the par-four eighth to get the turnaround in 30.
Multiple birdies at the 12th, 13th and 17th – when he birdied from around the green – saw the American card a first-round 63, leaving him one stroke behind co-leaders Min Woo Lee and Piersson Cuddy after they finished 10 under after a round of 62.
Like the leading pair, Scheffler – whose ball hit a spectator as he walked off the tee at the 16th – kept the bogey off his card all day, and the nine-under total was his best in 19 rounds of the tournament.
Scheffler during the first round of The American Express
Scotland’s Robert McIntyre played in the Nicklaus tournament and also shot 63.
Fresh off a best-round fourth-place finish on the final day of last week’s season opener in Hawaii, McIntyre birdied his first five holes Thursday starting on the 10th.
And although a bogey on the par-five 15th cost the Scot a shot and some of that early momentum, he bounced back in the 31st with his fine round capped by a birdie on his final hole, the ninth.
Nicklaus’ course proved particularly conducive to under par on a day when 70 players finished at least five under and 130 under par.
But only two posted 62s – Australia’s Woo Lee and America’s Cuddy.
Starting at the 10th, Wu Li made five birdies either side of the turn, while Cuddy’s round really came alive from the 11th when he went on a run of seven straight birdies.
The American ended up shooting a 29 on the back nine to tie Wu Li.
Scheffler and McIntyre were joined by seven other players on the ninth man, including Jason Day, Patrick Cantlay and Ben Griffin.
But Day was the most pleased of all given that his 63 came on the Stadium Course, considered the most challenging of the three in use this week.
England’s Jordan Smith was also in good shape on Friday after shooting an eight-under 64 on the Nicklaus course, while Matt Wallace was at six under.
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