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Hero World Challenge Round 1 Takeaways: Rusty Tiger, Harman Picks Up Where He Left Off

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2 years ago

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Round 1 of the Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas has concluded, and our takeaways from the first eighteen holes are plentiful.

As of right now, Brian Harman and Tony Finau share the lead at -5 after both firing 67 on Thursday, while Jordan Spieth trails by one shot after one of the most wild scorecards you’ll ever see. 

We have plenty to think about after the first round of the Hero World Challenge, but there are plenty of takeaways considering all of the things that happened, including the return of Tiger Woods and Will Zalatoris.

Tiger Woods was Rusty

Tiger had a pretty even-keeled day and finished the front nine even. However, a double bogey on 15 and two more bogies on 16 and 17 ended the momentum he started to feel toward the beginning half of the back nine.

It was evident Woods was feeling some of the rust that comes with being out of competitive golf for roughly seven months. He was not playing with friends or family, either. Instead, he was rehabbing from injuries.

Woods was unable to finish with positive strokes gained in any scoring category through the first 18 holes, basically summarizing a lackluster performance in his return to competitive golf. It was not all bad, though. Woods was hammering the ball and stepped onto the first tee, marking his comeback with a smashed 330+-yard drive straight down the middle of the fairway:

Woods sits in 18th, only ahead of Will Zalatoris (+9 81) and Wyndham Clark (+4 76).

Brian Harman is Back Where He Left Off Last Year

It is no secret that Brian Harman hit his stride toward the end of last season. After winning The Open Championship and accumulating strong performances through the last few weeks of the year, his momentum carried him onto the U.S. Ryder Cup Team.

Harman picked up right where he left off by firing a 67 today, which put him in the lead early. He went into the clubhouse with a three-stroke lead, before Tony Finau caught fire and matched Harman’s score. They both share the lead heading into Friday.


Harman could truly be a real thorn in the side of many players this year, and as his game continues to sharpen, I would look for him to be a favorite in quite a few tournaments this year, even if he doesn’t get the recognition he deserves from his recent performances.

Gaining strokes in every scoring category apart from Off the Tee, Harman was lights out in nearly every part of his game. His 2.83 strokes gained putting only trailed that of Keegan Bradley, who had 3.42 strokes gained in that category. However, Harman was more efficient Around the Green than any other player in the field, gaining 2.82 strokes in that category. 

I’m not a betting man (except on Sundays), but I might have to throw a few dollars on Harman based on his Thursday performance alone.

Will Zalatoris Has Work To Do

Nobody expected Will Zalatoris or Tiger Woods to come out and fire a 65 on Thursday. I mean nobody.

But Will Zalatoris’s 81 was quite a shock, and I was really hoping to see something that he could build upon today. However, after coming out and getting a birdie on the first hole, Willy Z just was not able to get anything going.

A putter change was reported on heavily this week, and that has been the biggest piece of the puzzle missing for Zalatoris since he became a professional in 2018. He was obviously still dealing with a lot of that rust that Woods is also dealing with, but Zalatoris seemed less-than-confident on the greens, missing several very makeable putts during the course of his round.

He lost 5.90 strokes putting today. We hope to see something more stellar tomorrow, but even if he can’t put it together this weekend, we are more than aware that this will be a work in progress as he is coming off a substantial back injury.

Justin Thomas Got Off To a Rough Start But Recovered

It’s not about where you start, it’s about where you finish. Justin Thomas’s round encapsulated that idea to a T.

Thomas had an ugly start to the Hero World Challenge as his tee shot skipped into the sand and bushes to the right of the fairway. What made it look even worse was the fact that Tiger was his playing partner and the guy who hasn’t played since Augusta piped one right down the middle.

But Thomas recovered and finished at -2, firing a 70 and sitting comfortably in 8th place.

Where Thomas needs to improve is off the tee, as that was the biggest contributor to a tumultuous round in the Bahamas. JT was dead last in strokes gained off the tee, losing 2.28.

Nevertheless, he is sitting only three back of the leaders.

Scottie Scheffler is doing Scottie Scheffler Things

Scottie Scheffler is just crazy good at golf, and he is only two back of the lead, tied with Cam Young at -3 after a 69 on Thursday.

Scheffler lacked a positive score in strokes gained through approach shots but was lights out around the green with 2.61 strokes gained, only trailing Harman in that scoring category.

Although he ranked toward the middle of the pack with 0.64 strokes gained putting, Scheffler still finds himself in a familiar spot, just a few back of the lead.

It is tough to turn a blind eye to the type of dominance Scheffler has shown over the past few years. Will he have enough to win this weekend? I think so.

Scheffler is remarkably accurate with his iron play and he averaged 334 yards of driving distance through the first round. It’s an easy game when you can hit them straight and then rank near the top of the leaderboard in other scoring categories. He also knows how to close out a tournament, and it seems like Scottie will be right there on Sunday if he can continue his remarkable play through the final three rounds.

All SG statistics courtesy of datagolf.com

Cover Image via Sporting News

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Joey Klender is a reporter covering Equipment, Footwear, and Apparel. A huge golf fan, he calls a certain week in April his favorite of the year. Inspired by the likes of Woods, Palmer, McIlroy, and Koepka, Joey plays over 100 times a year in the South Central Pennsylvania area. When he isn't golfing, he is probably thinking about golfing, but he might be watching other sports, writing, or playing poker.

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