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The first round PGA Tour’s (un)official pre-Christmas summer vacation — it’s 78°F in Albany — a.k.a, Hero World Challenge, ended with two U.S. Open champions breathing down each other’s necks. J.J. Spaun, the reigning U.S. Open winner, is leading the pack along with 2023 U.S. Open winner Wyndham Clark and three others at 6-under.

One of those three is, of course, defending champion Scottie Scheffler, who wrapped up his Thursday with seven birdies and a lone bogey on the 18th. Scheffler, with a new driver in his bag, is aiming for a three-peat at the Bahamas. Nevertheless, when the dust settled on the first round, three shots from three players stood out the most. 

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Akshay Bhatia’s bunker hole-out

Most players change caddies, hoping for a change of fortune on the greens. Most players meet with resounding disappointment (Collin Morikawa, anybody?). But for Akshay Bhatia, the caddie swap came with an auspicious beginning. With Joe Greiner — who used to loop for Max Homa until the Masters and has had brief stints with Collin Morikawa and Jake Knapp — Bhatia started the day with a birdie. Good omen. 

Because on the par-4 7th, Bhatia did one better despite blasting his 324-yard tee shot to the left bunker. From there, the 23-year-old left-hander pulled off a shot his mentor, Phil Mickelson, would be proud of. After assessing the lie, Bhatia decided to go for it. His wedge shot found the pin for an eagle. Bhatia is tied at the top after the first round. 

Wyndham Clark’s bunker magic

The former U.S. Open champion found himself in a pickle after sailing his drive to the greenside bunker on the par-4 7th. But he took a page out of Akshay Bhatia’s book and went for the pin. Clark’s ball took two hops before calmly rolling into the hole for an eagle. Playing mate, Hideki Matsuyama wasn’t expecting it at all, as was evident from his stupefied look at Wyndham Clark after the ball went in. Watch the hole-out eagle and Matsuyama’s reaction here.

Hideki Matsuyama’s eagle putt

You probably didn’t notice, but Hideki Matsuyama was coming off a hot stretch of golf. Even in his home country, the former Masters champion bagged a T5 at the Dunlop Phoenix Open. Despite teeing off at Albany six years after his last, the Japanese pro showed no signs of unfamiliarity with the course. 

After draining two consecutive birdies on the 13th and 14th, Matsuyama fired a 312-yard drive into the 15th fairway. His approach landed him 32 feet short of the pin. The spectators expected a two-putt birdie; Matsuyama gave them an eagle. And that modest smile — check out the eagle putt below.

After the first round, 10 of the 18 players in the field are within two shots of the lead. Justin Rose, despite making the turn at 2-over, ended with a birdie fest on the back-nine to post 4-under 68. Round Two will be live on Golf Channel from Saturday at 12 PM ET. There is no 36-hole cut at the Hero World Challenge.