La Quinta (US), Jan 23 (IANS) Indian-origin players Akshay Bhatia and Sahith Theegala endured mixed starts amid exceptionally low scoring conditions on the opening day of The American Express, where World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler produced a flawless bogey-free 9-under 63 to finish just one shot off the lead.

Bhatia, teeing it up at La Quinta Country Club, opened his campaign with a steady 4-under 68, while Theegala faced the sternest test of the three-course rotation at the Pete Dye Stadium Course and signed for a 1-under 71.

Indo-Canadian Sudarshan Yellamaraju, coming off an impressive tied-13th finish last week, carded a 2-under 70 on the Nicklaus Tournament Course but found himself well down the leader board due to the extremely low scores across the field.

Ideal weather conditions led to a barrage of birdies as players took advantage of the tournament’s unique three-course format, which sees the 156-player field rotate between La Quinta Country Club, the Nicklaus Tournament Course and the Pete Dye Stadium Course over the first three rounds before the cut.

At the top of the leaderboard, Min Woo Lee and Pierceson Coody set the pace with matching 10-under 62s on the Nicklaus Tournament Course, the easiest of the three layouts. The Nicklaus Course played nearly four shots easier than the Pete Dye Stadium Course.

Scheffler’s 63 at La Quinta marked his lowest 18-hole score in 19 career rounds at The American Express. Despite hitting only five of 14 fairways, the American showed superb iron play and missed just one green at the 17th, where he chipped in for birdie. It was also his first full-field start with a 36-hole cut since his victory in Napa last September.

Nine players ended the day at 9-under 63, tied one stroke behind the leaders. Among them were Vince Whaley and S.H. Kim, both in search of their maiden PGA TOUR titles, along with Ben Griffin, Patrick Cantlay and Jason Day. Griffin’s effort marked his seventh straight event opening inside the top eight after 18 holes, a run dating back to the 2025 Wyndham Championship.

Defending champion Sepp Straka struggled to find momentum and finished the day at even par, hampered by a costly double bogey.

–IANS

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