Matt Fitzpatrick Seeks To Push On After Fast Start At Phoenix Open

Chris Gotterup leads the Phoenix Open after a first‑round 63 at TPC Scottsdale, with Matt Fitzpatrick two shots behind following a 65, while world number one Scottie Scheffler faces an early battle to avoid missing a rare cut after opening with a two‑over 73.

Fitzpatrick’s day featured long spells of control and a late wobble, yet the score still left Fitzpatrick positioned to challenge Gotterup, who arrived in Arizona carrying strong form after winning the season‑opening event in Hawaii last month and backing it up with six birdies and an eagle.

Fitzpatrick began hot on the front nine, firing seven birdies across the first eight holes and turning in 29, then moved to eight under after another birdie at the par‑three 12th, before dropped shots

at each of the closing two holes cut the round back to six under.

Afterwards Fitzpatrick felt the display gave a strong base for the remaining rounds and backed the quality of the overall performance. "If someone said, here is six under to start the day and I can stay in bed, I would have snatched your hand off, Fitzpatrick said. I'm in a good position to start with and hopefully kick on. I could argue I actually played better on my back nine than on my front nine to be honest. I felt like I gave myself a few more mid-range putts to make birdies and just didn't quite make them. "

Scheffler’s defence of the world number one status brought frustration rather than momentum, as the two‑over effort included five bogeys and a double bogey, offset by five birdies, leaving Scheffler in danger of a first missed cut since the 2022 FedEx St Jude Championship and needing a strong second round.

Scheffler started on the back nine, then slipped at the par‑four 18th and again at the eighth, with the error at the latter prompting Scheffler to raise a hand in disbelief, a rare visible sign of irritation from Scheffler during a PGA Tour round at TPC Scottsdale.

The European challenge near the top of the Phoenix Open board remained strong, with Denmark’s Nicolai Hojgaard one of four players sitting on five under, another Dane, Rasmus Neergaard‑Petersen, at four under, and England’s John Parry reaching three under with two holes still unplayed after darkness halted play late in the round.

The atmosphere around TPC Scottsdale’s stadium holes matched the scoring bursts, with Fitzpatrick’s early charge particularly eye‑catching for spectators.

Lighting up the 16th hole!@MattFitz94 gets to 6-under through 7 @WMPhoenixOpen. PGA TOUR LIVE on ESPN+ pic.twitter.com/xaIC39b57fPGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) February 5, 2026

The 16th again provided one of the round’s loudest moments.

The main contenders’ first‑round cards at the Phoenix Open can be summarised as follows:

Player	Score	Round details
Chris Gotterup	63 (-8)	Six birdies, one eagle
Matt Fitzpatrick	65 (-6)	Seven early birdies, three total bogeys
Nicolai Hojgaard	65 (-5)	Part of four‑way tie on five under
Rasmus Neergaard‑Petersen	67 (-4)	Four under overall
John Parry	Three under	Two holes left due to darkness
Scottie Scheffler	73 (+2)	Five birdies, five bogeys, one double

With Gotterup setting the early target and Fitzpatrick two behind, the Phoenix Open moves into the second round with Scheffler needing a recovery effort, while a sizeable European group, led by Fitzpatrick and Hojgaard, stays well positioned to track the American leader at TPC Scottsdale.