"Hit some good shots, hit some bad shots," the Winnipeg Jets forward said after carding an opening-round 87 at the Players Cup, held at the Southwood Golf & Country Club on Thursday. "Spent probably a little too much time in the fescue. But I had two great guys I was playing with in (local golf pros) Andrew Steep and Justin MacDonald, so they made it easy. It was fun to be out there."
Scheifele, who had 60 points (23 goals, 37 assists) in 60 games last season, was a late addition to the tournament, replacing teammate Blake Wheeler as a sponsor exemption.
"I really didn't go in with any expectations," Scheifele said. "I wanted to make sure I was making good contact and everything, hitting the ball well. The biggest thing for me was try to hit it straight, try to hit some putts and see how it goes."
The 25-year-old began his round on the back nine and had a few hundred people following him throughout the day on the 7,394-yard course.
"I think I blacked out when I hit [my first tee shot]," Scheifele said. "I didn't even know where it went. It was crazy.
"You think playing in front of thousands and thousands of fans playing hockey, you'd be used to it. But when you get a golf club in your hand it's a totally different story. There was a few putts where it felt like I was going to have a heart attack, my face went all red. It was a totally different animal out there, but it was so much fun."
Scheifele shot an 8-over 44 on his first nine holes and finished his second nine with a 7-over 43, making one triple bogey, three double bogeys, seven bogeys and six pars. He trails leader Cody Blick, who shot 9-under.
Scheifele's only birdie came on the par-3 eighth hole. He stuck his tee shot about 10 feet from the pin and his putt rolled in the back door, leading to an ovation from the gallery and a big smile.
"That one felt really good," Scheifele said. "The par 3s were my masterpiece today. If my putting was on I probably could have made a few more birdies. But that birdie definitely felt good."
Scheifele walked off the final hole signing autographs and posing for pictures.
"I didn't expect that many people to come out," he said. "It was awesome to see the amount of fans who were following us. I hope they had fun. We had a lot of fun having them cheer us on and throw some jeers our way. It was definitely very nerve-wracking."
Scheifele said he hopes a little more experience with the course will allow for an improved second round Friday.
"I only got to play like four holes [on Wednesday] night once I landed, so I didn't get a whole lot familiar with what the course was looking like," he said. "But after seeing it today, it's in beautiful shape and was playing really nice. Just kind of understand what the course is playing like and what to expect.
"I'm looking forward to tomorrow."
