Scottie Scheffler endured a disastrous first round at the WM Phoenix Open on Thursday, especially by his standards.
World number one Scottie Scheffler entered the WM Phoenix Open as the red-hot favorite, but unless he shoots in the low 60s in the final three rounds, he won’t be leaving TPC Scottsdale with his 20th PGA Tour victory.
The 29-year-old was painfully out of sorts on Thursday in Phoenix. His swing was out of sync and he seemed genuinely lost at times.
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The man who has more clubface control than anyone else in the game didn’t know where his ball was going.
He had the left and right misses and rarely made solid contact with his ball throughout his entire round. His score of two-over-par 73 flattered him in truth.
Scheffler is the best golfer on the PGA Tour bar none. His first round in Phoenix was proof that golf is an almost impossible game to master.
Scottie Scheffler endures nightmare opening round at the WM Phoenix Open
Scheffler has been compared to Tiger Woods after the form he has displayed over the past four years.
It’s a fact that the 29-year-old from Dallas, Texas, is producing the best golf we have seen since Tiger’s prime.
However, if you knew nothing about golf and saw him in action at the WM Phoenix Open on Thursday, you could be forgiven for thinking he was a no-name journeyman pro.
Scheffler actually got off to the perfect start during his first round at TPC Scottsdale on Thursday.
The American hit his approach shot to three feet on his opening hole (10th) but things quickly went downhill from there.
His round of 73 consisted of five bogeys, a double bogey, five birdies and just seven pars.
His round was remarkably ‘un-Scheffler-like’.
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He was ranked 91st in strokes gained approach, 70th in strokes gained off the tee and 119th in strokes gained around the greens.
So perhaps it should be no surprise that Scheffler did something on day one of the WM Phoenix Open for only the second time since 2021.
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Thursday in Arizona was just the second time over the past five PGA Tour seasons that he has carded six or more bogeys or worse during the first round of a tournament.
The last time he did that was only eight months ago at the US Open at Oakmont.
These things happen in golf. Scheffler proved on day one of the Phoenix Open that he is not immune to horror rounds.
However, would it shock anyone if he bounced back on Friday with a round in the low-60s? It would be far more shocking to see him card another round of 73, that’s for sure.
He simply didn’t have it today. His tempo was completely off and it was one of the only times over the past four years when he was doubting himself during his pre-shot routine.
We will now see what Scheffler is really made of on day two of the WM Phoenix Open.
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