European Ryder Cup star Sepp Straka and Rolex Series winner Victor Perez are part of a four-way tie for the lead after round one of the Genesis Scottish Open.
Related: Robert MacIntyre ready for title defence on home soil
Colombian Nico Echavarria was the first player in the clubhouse at six under par before American Jake Knapp and Austria’s Straka joined him with their respective 64s.
Frenchman Perez was the only afternoon starter to reach that mark, with the leading quartet holding a one-shot lead.
There’s a logjammed leaderboard at the Renaissance Club in the first event of the Closing Swing, with 28 players sitting within three shots of the leaders after 18 holes.
Straka, who has two wins on the PGA TOUR this season, is aiming for a first Rolex Series victory, while Perez has not been in the winner’s enclosure since his triumph at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship in 2023, but home comforts seemed to help the Dundee-based golfer.
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Calum Hill leads the Scottish challenge at five under par, alongside German pair Marcel Siem and Matti Schmid and Englishman Marco Penge.
Norway’s Viktor Hovland carded his first flawless round at this event to sit with South Korean Tom Kim, New Zealand’s Ryan Fox and American duo Wyndham Clark and Keith Mitchell in a share for ninth at four under.
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A group of 19 players then sit at three under par, while defending champion Robert MacIntyre, and the two players who lifted the Genesis Scottish Open before him – Rory McIlroy and Xander Schauffele – are amongst the group who opened with two under par rounds of 68.
Player quotes
Sepp Straka: Short game, I would say. My iron play was pretty good. Driver not so much but the chipping was really nice, and I also made a lot of putts. Any time those two are working, the scores usually are going to be pretty good.
It’s a little bit unpredictable and it puts you in spots where you may be a little bit uncomfortable, and you hit shots that you normally wouldn’t hit. I think that’s what makes it the most fun. You’ll hit a shot and end up in a place where you never hit the shot before and it’s fun to kind of try to pull that off.
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The wind picked up around the turn, and yeah, when I got the ball in play, my iron play was pretty good and took advantage of it. But a lot of squirrely drives as well. A few up-and-downs saved me. Yeah, it was a nice way to finish.
Nico Echavarria: I played well. The course, there was some wind but nothing significant. I was able to keep the ball in front of me. Avoided the bunkers, which is a key off the tee. Made some putts at the end. Overall hit it pretty good.
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There was some momentum going. I was hitting the ball well. I was keeping it in play, hitting from the fairway, hitting good shots. It’s key to hit the fairways because from the rough the ball doesn’t have any spin and it could roll on the greens, bounce really hard. I was able to do that and give myself looks and I was able to convert.
You’ve got to get creative. There’s different ways of playing the shots. Last year I struggled with the turf. I wasn’t able to compress my arms and hit the numbers. I was short all time on second shots, and I’ve learned how to hit the ball a little better, I think, and it’s key out here to compress the ball and hit it solid.
