Wiped-out Scheffler opens with a 69 at Hilton Head

He hit a shank from a bunker and nearly lost his mind from mud on his golf ball, but he still managed a two-under-par 69 at the RBC Heritage on Thursday for a share of 26th.

JT Poston set the pace on an idyllic day on Hilton Head Island in South Carolina with nine birdies - six of them in a seven-hole stretch - for a 63 that gave him a two-shot lead over Collin Morikawa and Ireland's Seamus Power.

Ludvig Aberg, the runner-up at Augusta, was in the group another shot behind, while Jason Day was the highest-ranked Australian in a share of 17th - five shots off the lead after an opening-round three-under 68.

Fellow countryman Cam Davis was two shots further back.

Thousands of fans lined the fairways of Harbour Town to see Scheffler, the Masters champion who is going for his fourth win in his last five tournaments.

There were times Scheffler didn't look like the No.1 player in the world.

"I tried to give myself an extra little bit of grace on the course today. (I'm) emotionally a little drained. Mentally, definitely a bit drained," he said.

"Getting into the tournament, hitting some shots, getting a bit frustrated, getting a bit excited about my finish there - all good emotions to feel."

Poston - who closed with a 70 at Augusta National - chipped in from 65 feet on the par-3 fourth hole to begin a remarkable run - three straight birdies from the 10-foot range followed, and then a 15-foot birdie putt on the short par-4 ninth and another from 10 feet to start the back nine.

For Morikawa, it was more validation he's on the right track. The two-time major winner was among those who had a share of the lead on Sunday at the Masters until he took a pair of double bogeys around the turn. He wound up in a tie for third.

"What I'm doing, it's working," Morikawa said.

"I've just got to stick to that and understand why it's working and just go out there and play golf."

The fans glued to the world No.1 weren't expecting a shank - and neither was Scheffler.

It happened on the third hole. He was in a bunker right of the green and hit it off the hosel of the club at a 45-degree angle away from the pin, over the green. He chipped to six feet and missed the putt, making double bogey.

"I shank it a decent amount, but never in competition," Scheffler said.

"I tried to give myself a little bit of grace there. It clearly was just a mental lapse and I wasn't quite into it yet. I had a much better back nine."

That had its moments, too, all on one hole. The 11th gave him fits off the tee, and he finally drilled one, only to see a clump of mud on his ball. The frustration was evident.

Australian Associated Press