Scheffler opens Travelers Championship in tie for 2nd; Im finishes T-32

World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler opened the Travelers Championship — the season's final signature event with a $20 million purse — in a tie for second place Thursday.

Playing at TPC River Highlands (par 70) in Cromwell, Connecticut, Scheffler carded a bogey-free 6-under-par 64, collecting six birdies to share second place with Matt Fitzpatrick (England), Nico Echavarria (Colombia) and Ben Griffin (United States). He sits one stroke behind leader Erik Cole (United States), who shot a 7-under 63.

Scheffler has been quiet since winning his first title of the season at the American Express in January. He finished tied for fourth at last week's US Open, where he had been chasing a career Grand Slam.

Soft greens left by pre-tournament rain helped Scheffler attack the course with sharp iron play. On the par-4 15th hole, he drove the ball close to the green and converted an easy birdie, then sustained his focus by creating birdie opportunities on each of the final three holes.

"When scoring conditions are low across the board, it gets harder and harder to chase down the leader later on," Scheffler said after his round. "On this course, once you fall behind, it's very difficult to make up ground no matter how low you go — so it was really important to stay in contention with the leaders from day one."

South Korean players Im Sung-jae and Kim Si-woo were in the middle of the pack after the opening round. Im shot a 2-under 68 to share 32nd place with Min Woo Lee (Australia), while Kim carded a 1-under 69 to sit tied for 46th. Both face a significant gap to leader Cole and will need to play aggressively in the remaining rounds to climb the leaderboard.

Cole delivered a highlight-reel moment on the par-5 13th hole, holing out a chip-in eagle from 65 yards for his third shot.

Wyndham Clark (United States), who claimed a wire-to-wire victory at last week's US Open, struggled Thursday — making a triple bogey on the 12th hole after a wayward tee shot — and finished at 2-under 68.