Scheffler begins hat-trick bid with facile 65inTexas

Scottie Scheffler fired another warning shot across the bows of his Masters rivals when he cruised to a bogey-free five-under65 to lie just a shot off the early pace in the Texas Children’s Houston Open.

Just 24 hours after saying he was “shaking off alittle bit of rust”, the world No 1 began his bid for a third successive PGATour win by missing four of his first five greens at Memorial Park.

He didn’t bat an eyelid, however, and still managed to birdie the hole where he did hit the green before going on to make four more and share second place with Joe Highsmith, one adrift of early leader Taylor Moore.

“Yeah, I would say some key upand-downs ,” said Scheffler, who never missed in the wrong spot and gained nearly two-and-a-half shots on the field with the putter.

“I made a nice putt there at the first to kind of get the round going and made some really nice up-and-downs after that.”

Starting on the back nine, the Texas resident birdied the 13th and 17th to turn in two-under 33, then got up and down for par at the first before pencilling in birdies at the second, third and fifth.

If hewins, hewill match Dustin Johnson, who won the Genesis Open, the WGC-Mexico Championship and the WGC Dell Technologies in consecutive starts in 2017.

But after winning the Arnold Palmer Invitational and The Players, Scheffler is trying to become the first to win three strokeplay events in a row since Rory McIlroy won The Open, the WGC Bridgestone Invitational and the PGA Championship in that magical summer of 2014.

“I had a solid round,” Scheffler said, confirming that the neck injury that somewhat hampered him at Sawgrass is no longer a problem. “Kept the card clean. Bogey-free is always nice, especially around a golf course like this. It’s nice to be able to keep the card clean, like I said.”

Scheffler missed seven greens but Moore missed just three as he followed an opening bogey with an eagle and five birdies in his six-under 64.

On the DPWorld Tour, Matteo Manassero bounced back from his missed cut in the Singapore Classic last week by continuing his remarkable return to form in the Hero Indian Open.

The Italian, who ended a near 11-year wait for his fifth DPWorld Tour title at the J ons son Work wear Open earlier this month, carded a bogey-free seven-under-par 65 to share the lead with the Netherlands’ Joost Luiten and Japan’s Keita Nakajima at DLF Golf & Country Club.

Manassero carded an eagle and five birdies at the Gary Player Course as Luiten made nine birdies and two bogeys and Nakajima came home in six-under 30 on a course where six players shot in the 80s.

“Today was a really special day ,” Manassero said. “I played so good from tee to green. Every time a tournament starts, there’s a blank page. You prepare, but on a course like this, things can go thewrong way very easily.

“Today, from the tee and into the greens, I was extremely solid, so I’m really pleased about that and the result with not making any bogeys on a course like this. Seven-under par is really good.”

His missed cut in Singapore was a hangover from his win.

“I tried to be as focused as possible and as hungry as possible last Thursday, but it wasn’t my week,” he said.

“I made a lot of birdies but dropped so many shots. It’s never easy, there’s a lot of congratulations and greetings – which is really nice – but it makes you feel too relaxed to perform.”

The trio of leaders are one stroke ahead of Frenchman Romain Lang as que and English pair Sam Bairstow and Jordan Smith.

At the LP GA Tour’ s Ford Championship, Leona Maguire opened with a one-under 71 to lie seven shots behind Spain’ s A zahara Munoz and Australia’ s Gabriela Ruff el sin Arizona.

Hero Indian Open, 7.30am

Houston Open, 12.30pm (Both live on Sky Sports)