Scottie Scheffler came to Houston to find his formidable winning form at the Texas Children’s Houston Open.

That might be where it’s been eluding him all this time. The top-ranked player in the world, who finished first or second in nearly half of his 19 starts last year, matched his lowest opening round of 2025 on a cool, wet and often windy Thursday, his sixth start of the season, at Memorial Park Golf Course. Scheffler shot a 3-under 67 that included no bogeys and little tension, coasting into early but noteworthy contention, two strokes out of the lead.

“I’m always hoping there’s some good golf around the corner,” he said. “I think today I did a good job. Keeping a clean card is always really nice.”

But it wasn't easy.

The lift, clean and place accommodation provided some relief, but the swampy coastal air in southeast Texas carried all kinds of menace. Rain fell throughout. Uneven breezes puzzled the field. Cloud cover darkened the grounds in varying densities. In truth, it was the kind of day a clear-thinking golfer might choose to spend watching the game on TV, not playing it.

“I think what most players struggled with is just adjusting to the conditions,” said Scheffler, whose round equaled his score on the first day of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, where he tied for ninth. He finished Friday with a share of 13th.

“When the ball’s wet, it reacts a little bit differently on the club face,” Scheffler said. “And when you get swirling winds, especially when you get it between the stands, it can be hard to judge exactly where the wind’s coming from.”

Which brings the focus to Rory McIlroy.

A two-time winner already this season, the No. 2-ranked player in the world and current FedExCup leader slogged through a two-birdie, two-bogey round of 70 that he described as “a little pedestrian” and that the leaderboard displayed as a tie for 57th. McIlroy started his morning round in a proper downpour, and “couldn’t really find the club face” with his driver until he removed his rain gear sometime later. That helped, but only a little.

“Sort of a tale of two halves,” McIlroy said. “Felt like I was scrambling for the most part on the first nine and then, yeah, I feel like I left a couple out there on the last nine.”

So did Scheffler. So, most likely, did everyone — even the four players who shot 5-under 65. Jackson Suber, who shot 66, came to the last hole at minus-6. He made double on the par-4 18th.

"Obviously, I think, in every round you can always feel like you can do a little bit more out there," Scheffler said. "But overall, 3-under, bogey-free is a good, solid start to the week."

Is it winning form? The forecast looks promising. But you just never know about the weather in Texas.