Taylor Moore birdied his last hole to complete a bogey-free, 9-under-par 62 and take a one-shot lead over Brooks Koepka during the first round of the CJ Cup Byron Nelson on Thursday in McKinney, Texas.
Koepka posted a sterling 63, the lowest round of the morning wave at TPC Craig Ranch, with an eagle and six birdies. It took nearly the rest of the day until someone was able to beat that, as Moore started his round with four birdies on the back nine and added five more coming in — including a 14-foot putt at the par-5 ninth.
Sweden’s Jesper Svensson shares second with Koepka, who seeks his first win since returning to the PGA Tour from LIV Golf.
South Korea’s Si Woo Kim, Germany’s Stephan Jaeger, Argentina’s Emiliano Grillo, Japan’s Kensei Hirata, Keith Mitchell, Michael Thorbjornsen and Tyler Duncan posted rounds of 7-under 64.
World No. 1 and defending champion Scottie Scheffler posted a 5-under 66 for the highest score of his grouping, as he finds himself paired with Koepka and Kim for the first two rounds. Like several of his peers Thursday, Scheffler enjoyed a bogey-free round.
Scheffler scorched TPC Craig Ranch last year to win by eight shots with a 31-under 253, tying the PGA Tour scoring record. That win came before the remainder of a planned renovation that aimed to make the course more challenging.
Hank Lebioda, a 32-year-old pro with less than $4 million in PGA Tour career earnings, managed to eagle two par-4s during his 6-under 65. He chipped in from the greenside rough at the short par-4 14th, then holed out from 138 yards away at No. 2.
