Spieth takes down Schwartzel

Jordan Spieth’s first shot of the day was an eventful one.

The former Longhorns star, seeded fourth in Austin this week, hit his opening drive right where it found the cart path and then trickled into a concessions stand area.

The ball came to rest amongst picnic tables and hundreds of spectators at the Austin Country Club, just feet away from a Torchy’s Tacos stand.

The miscue didn’t cost him, however. Charl Schwartzel also bogeyed No. 1 after having tree troubles of his own, and Spieth went on to win the match, 2 and 1.

Last year, Spieth went 2-1 in his group but didn’t make it past Friday’s third round. He faces HaoTong Li, who lost to Patrick Reed, on Thursday.

Lucky No. 1: The first hole at Austin Country Club has been awfully good to world No. 1 Dustin Johnson. On his way to the title last year, he won the first hole in six of his seven matches.

Wednesday was more of the same. Johnson parred the hole in his match with Austria’s Bernd Wiesberger, giving himself an early 1-up lead. They might need to rename the hole after Johnson if he is any more dominant on it.

Wiesberger, though, registered the first-day win, 3 and 1.

Hot start: Bubba Watson started Wednesday as well as any player could hope. He birdied the first four holes in his match with Branden Grace. By the time the pair made the turn, Watson was a staggering 6-up on his South African opponent.

The hot start by Watson was ultimately too much for Grace to overcome. Watson won 5 and 3.

Upset alert: After winning the Arnold Palmer Invitational last week with a flurry of birdies on the back nine Sunday, Rory McIlroy was a trendy pick coming into the tournament. Peter Uihlein must not have gotten the message.

The American, one of the last players in the field ranking 63rd in the world, dominated McIlroy in their opening match. Uihlein used three birdies in the first 10 holes to race out to a 5-up lead. McIlroy made things interesting on the back nine, but Uihlein held him off for a 2 and 1 victory.

Local love: Jason Dufner does not have a hat sponsor, and he has certainly been having fun with his lids this season. He has worn baseball hats, American flag hats, camouflage hats and even a hat with the Notorious B.I.G. on it.

During his opening match with Louis Oosthuizen, Dufner decided to show Austin some love with an Austin City Limits hat. Dufner lost his match on the 18th, so we may not see the hat again, but supporting the local festival was a nice touch.