CASTLE PINES — Jack Nicklaus — arguably the most accomplished golfer in PGA Tour history — returned to one of the many courses he sculpted Thursday.

The “Golden Bear” was on hand for the first round of the BMW Championship, held at Castle Pines Golf Club. Nicklaus, 84, won a record 18 major championships during his career and has designed 425 golf courses, one of those being Castle Pines.

“I’m usually back here about once a year,” Nicklaus said. “I’ve enjoyed doing it.”

Nicklaus co-designed Castle Pines with Jack Vickers in 1981. Before its development, Castle Pines was simply a mountainside.

But Nicklaus and Vickers saw a vision.

“We said, ‘We’ve got to figure out what we’re going to do. And we did,” Nicklaus said. “And we’ve got a golf course out here that has stood the test of time. It’s one I’m very proud of.”

The 2024 BMW Championship is the first professional tournament held at Castle Pines since the 2006 International. It is the first PGA Tour event in Colorado since the 2014 BMW Championship at Cherry Hills.

With a yardage of 8,130, Castle Pines is the longest course on the PGA Tour. But with an elevation of 6,400 feet and how long today’s players hit their shots, Nicklaus thinks that’s about right.

“They don’t need to be that long. But at this altitude you really do (need that),” Nicklaus said. “This is 10-12%. If you’re 8,100 yards, you’re a 7,300-yard golf course. That’s not long by today’s standards.”

Scheffler, Schauffele paired as world’s top-two golfers

Scottie Scheffler and Xander Schauffele are ranked No. 1 and No. 2 in the World Golf Rankings, respectively, and the two played alongside one another in Round 1.

While Scheffler leads Schauffele by the FedEx Cup standings by almost 1,500 points, it was the latter who performed better Thursday.

Schauffele shot a 3-under 69 (34-35), while Scheffler posted a 71 (36-35).

As the top two players in the world and on the PGA Tour, it’s safe to call Scheffler and Schauffele rivals. But after competing together at the Olympics and playing together in other rounds, it’s a pairing that Schauffele calls comfortable.

“We’ve played enough golf together,” Schauffele said. “We can talk if we want. We don’t have to if we don’t want to. We’re not talking too much walking up these hills trying to catch our breath getting to the ball.”

The good news for Schauffele? The two will be paired again in Friday’s second round.

Scheffler and Schauffele’s group will tee off at 11:20 a.m.

Matsuyama drains longest putt of career

Hideki Matsuyama made plenty of good shots, chips and putts Thursday, but one putt stood out from the rest.

The 32-year-old from Japan made a 73-foot putt on hole 4 for his third birdie in a row. That putt, the longest of his career, was the highlight of a good day.

That putt, though, didn’t give him much momentum on the next several holes. He parred the next five holes before bogeying hole 10.

But Matsuyama finished his day well. He logged three birdies in the final next eight holes, finishing Round 1 5-under par and in second place.