Scottie Scheffler’s shank from the bunker yesterday was very much a rarity but Collin Morikawa has had a slightly different take on what it meant for both their rounds.
Morikawa was trying to chase Scheffler down and got within a few shots near the end of the front nine.
And after seeing Scheffler shank one of his bunker shots across the green towards a second bunker, there was a feeling that the door might be open.
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However, Scheffler simply got up and down, put the pedal to the floor, and pulled away again to eventually win by four shots.
And when asked about the shank from Scheffler, Morikawa has admitted that it might have been one of the worst things to happen.
Collin Morikawa shares why Scottie Scheffler’s shank didn’t actually help him
Morikawa was speaking to the media after just losing out to Scheffler and while some believed he was back in the mix after Scheffler’s shank, Morikawa instead believed it simply served to re-focus the world number one.
“Yeah, honestly, very surprising. Yeah, I knew I had to make the putt because I had a weird feeling he was going to make par, and I think he lipped out his par putt, even after the bad chip,” Morikawa said.
“Look, I made the putt and he was two back, but like I said, he’s not going to just start making bogeys after that. He’s going to do the opposite and he’s going to start hitting golf shots.
“It almost brought his focus back in for a half second, and that’s something you can’t teach.
“You just either have it or you don’t.”
With golf being such a test of mental strength, it’s clear that Scheffler has very much got that element of his game down to a tee.
Justin Rose commented on Scheffler’s mentality on the 15th green yesterday and this is just another example of how good he is between the ears.
Ultimately, that’s the level the rest of the field need to get towards if they’re going to have a chance in 2025.
Until they manage it, Scheffler will simply keep on dominating and winning more than he loses.
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