Spieth's 7-Under Par "Marching to 2nd Win in Hometown"... What About 'Oldest Major Champion' Mickelson?

Charles Schwab Challenge Day 1: Garcia Tied for Lead, Compton Tied 3rd in Chase, An Byeonghun Tied 8th for Korea

'Texas Boy' Jordan Spieth is teeing off at the 17th hole on the first day of the Charles Schwab Challenge. Fort Worth, Texas, USA = Getty Images / Multibits

[Asia Economy Golf Specialist Reporter Kim Hyun-jun] 'Texas Boy' Jordan Spieth (USA) has embarked on a '2-win hunt' in his hometown.

On the 28th (Korean time), at Colonial Golf Club (par 70, 7,209 yards) near Fort Worth, Texas, USA, Spieth fired a 7-under-par on the first day of the PGA Tour Charles Schwab Challenge (total prize money $7.5 million) and immediately took the top spot on the leaderboard. Sergio Garcia (Spain) is tied for first place, and Eric Compton is tied for third (5-under-par 65). The oldest major champion Phil Mickelson (USA) remained tied for 87th place (3-over-par 73).

Spieth collected seven birdies. After 'stepping stone birdies' on the first hole, the 10th (par 4) and 12th (par 4), he gained momentum with birdies on the 17th hole (par 4) and the 2nd hole of the back nine (par 4). Although he missed the green six times, his brilliant short game preserved his score every time. He relied on an average of 1.50 putts per hole, a 'stingy putting' performance. The highlight was a streak of three consecutive birdies from holes 7 to 9. Especially on the 8th hole (par 3), he made a 22-meter chip shot birdie from the right rough of the green.

It is interesting that Spieth has entered revival mode with his victory at the Valero Texas Open last month. It was his 12th career win after a long 3 years and 9 months since the Open Championship in July 2017. He also showed major competitiveness with a tie for 3rd place at the Masters. However, finishing tied for 30th at the PGA Championship that ended on the 24th left some regret as he missed becoming the sixth 'career grand slammer' in global golf history. He cheered, saying he had "found his putting touch."

Garcia also delivered a 'perfect play' with one eagle and five birdies. The leading group includes Jason Kokrak, who joined the tie for third place, and 2019 champion Daniel Berger (both USA), who is tied for 14th place (2-under-par 68) and is challenging to defend his title after two years. Mickelson's 'two consecutive wins march' is a thorny path. Although he made history as the first major champion in his 50s by winning the PGA Championship on the 24th, he struggled today with two birdies and five bogeys.

Korea's Byeong-Hun An (30) is performing well, tied for 8th place (3-under-par 67) with six birdies and three bogeys. In the 2021 season, he had only one 'top 10' finish in 20 events, so this is an opportunity to break out of his slump. Sungjae Im (23) is tied for 57th place (1-over-par 71), and Siwoo Kim (26) is tied for 69th place (2-over-par 72). Seonghoon Kang (34, CJ Logistics) fell to a tie for 98th after a 4-over-par performance, including a double bogey caused by his second shot landing in the greenside bunker on the 14th hole (par 4).

'Oldest Major Champion' Phil Mickelson is making a chip shot on the 11th hole on the first day of the Charles Schwab Challenge. Fort Worth, Texas, USA = Getty Images / Multibits Photo by Getty Images

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