WM Phoenix Open Round 1: Chris Gotterup Goes Bogey-Free for 63 as Scottie Scheffler Stumbles

Chris Gotterup has made two trips to TPC Scottsdale in his career and missed the cut both times. On Thursday, the Stadium Course finally got the version of Gotterup that has owned the first month of 2026.

Gotterup shot a bogey-free 8-under 63 to take a two-shot lead after the first round of the WM Phoenix Open. Matt Fitzpatrick is alone in second at 6 under after a wild 65. Four players sit at 5 under: Michael Thorbjornsen, Nicolai Hojgaard, Pierceson Coody and Sam Stevens. Play was suspended for darkness at 6:06 p.m. local time, with the stragglers finishing Friday morning.

The Back-Nine Burst

Gotterup started on the 10th tee and did his real damage on that opening nine. The spark came at the par-5 13th, where he rolled in a 27-foot eagle putt from just off the green. That kicked off a run that included a 7-foot birdie at the 16th, his third birdie in a row, in front of the most famous gallery in golf. He added another birdie at the 18th and turned in 6-under 30.

The second nine was quieter but still clean. He two-putted for birdie at the par-5 third and dropped a 26-footer at the par-3 seventh to get to 8 under, with no bogeys anywhere on the card.

Gotterup was honest about where the round came from, telling the AP that he did not think he drove it his best but that the putter carried him. On a warm day when plenty of players were bombing it off the tee, the putter was the separator.

A Hot Start to 2026, Continued

The context makes Thursday look less like a fluke. Gotterup, 26, closed with a 64 to win the season-opening Sony Open in Hawaii, then tied for 18th at Torrey Pines last week. According to CBS Sports, every one of his nine competitive rounds this calendar year has been under par.

That kind of consistency is what turns a hot week into a real run. He came into Scottsdale chasing a second win in his third start of the season, and after one round he is exactly where he wants to be.

Fitzpatrick's 29, Then the Hangover

Fitzpatrick authored the most dramatic card of the day. Also starting on the back nine, the 2022 U.S. Open champion birdied 10 and 11, then strung together five straight birdies starting at the 13th. That added up to a 29, matching the back-nine scoring record at TPC Scottsdale. A birdie at the par-5 third pushed him to 7 under, and for a few minutes the course record of 60 was in the conversation, per CBS Sports.

Then it got away from him. Fitzpatrick bogeyed his final two holes, the eighth and ninth, to finish at 65.

"If someone would've said here is 6 under to start day and I can stay in bed, I would've snatched your hand off," Fitzpatrick said, per the AP.

He has not won since the 2023 RBC Heritage, and a start like this is a real chance to change that.

Scheffler Hits a Wall

The biggest surprise of the day was at the other end of the board. Scottie Scheffler arrived in Scottsdale chasing a third straight PGA TOUR win, riding a streak of 33 consecutive rounds under par. He shot 2-over 73.

The damage came from the short game, which is not a sentence anyone expected to write. Twice, at the par-4 eighth and the par-4 18th, Scheffler hit chip shots that rolled back to his feet. Both led to bogeys, and he showed a rare flash of anger at the 18th before heading straight to the range. CBS Sports noted it was his first over-par round since June 2025.

The stakes are real. Scheffler sits 10 shots behind Gotterup, and his streak of 65 straight made cuts, the longest active run on TOUR, is in jeopardy. He has not missed a cut since the 2022 FedEx St. Jude Championship.

Who Else Is Lurking

Hideki Matsuyama got around in 3-under 68 in the afternoon wave, which CBS Sports said played more than half a shot harder as the wind picked up. Jake Knapp, Daniel Berger and Max McGreevy are among five players at 4 under, and Viktor Hovland opened with 69. Jordan Spieth shot 70 and Xander Schauffele 71.

Brooks Koepka, in his second start since returning to the PGA TOUR, had a hard day. He made one birdie and shot 4-over 75.

Friday's Assignment

Warm weather and firm conditions meant long drives and low numbers for the players who could control their irons. Gotterup did that better than anyone, and Fitzpatrick showed how quickly it can turn the other way.

Friday brings the cut, which makes it the most important round of the week for Scheffler. For Gotterup, it is about doing it again on a course that has not been kind to him until now.

Full scoring is on the official PGA TOUR leaderboard (opens in a new tab), and the TOUR's Round 1 recap (opens in a new tab) has more.

Sources: PGA TOUR (Round 1 recap and leaderboard), AP, CBS Sports, WM Phoenix Open. More golf coverage on Undrafted.

Photo: PGA TOUR.