Scottie Scheffler did something worrying in round three at the WM Phoenix Open which didn’t happen at all in 2024

Add as preferred source on Google

Scottie Scheffler is on course for another top 10 finish on the PGA Tour in 2025, and yet, it feels like the world number one is yet to rediscover his very best form since returning from injury at the start of this season.

It says everything about how magnificent Scottie Scheffler was in 2024 that his tied ninth finish at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am almost felt a little underwhelming. Scheffler however, was never really in the mix to catch Rory McIlroy.

And, with one round to go at the WM Phoenix Open, it appears that the 28-year-old once again has a little too much to do to win at TPC Scottsdale. Scheffler is eight shots behind Thomas Detry, having lost at least two shots to the Belgian in each round so far.

It would potentially be one of Scheffler’s finest wins so far if he could find a way to rise up the leaderboard in Phoenix. However, there is one particularly worrying statistic from his third round which just hints that this is not quite the Scheffler of 2024.

How Scottie Scheffler’s biggest strength deserted him at the WM Phoenix Open

Scheffler’s numbers last year were, unsurprisingly, outrageous. Of course, he won nine times worldwide. And there appeared to be one part of his game which was head and shoulders above any other aspect of his own game, let alone when compared with any of his peers.

Scheffler gained 1.269 shots per round with his approach play last year. Incredibly, the gap between Scheffler and second place Tony Finau was larger than the gap between Finau and 31st place Chan Kim.

There were only two tournaments all year where Scheffler lost shots to the field with his approach play in more than one round – the Genesis Invitational and the BMW Championship. Many will remember how Scheffler could not adapt to playing at altitude at the latter, and he ended up losing shots to the field in all four rounds.

However, of the tournaments for which the PGA Tour provides data, Scheffler gained shots in all four rounds at seven of the events he played last year. The high point came at the Memorial Tournament where the two-time major winner gained 12.96 shots on the field with his approach play across the week.

One of Scheffler’s worst performances since the start of 2024

His worst round of the year with his approach play did indeed come at Castle Pines for the BMW Championship, where he lost 2.707 shots to the field on the last day.

Unfortunately, he has already bettered that this year, with Scheffler losing 2.981 to the field in that particular category during round three of the WM Phoenix Open.

Scheffler could not hide his frustration during Saturday’s round, smashing his club into his bag on 15. And you can understand why when he has been so successful for such a long period of time.

Scheffler’s 2024 season was arguably comparable with some of Tiger Woods’ better years. So it was always going to be nearly impossible to improve upon that with the next act.

But clearly, there is no reason at all to write off Scheffler – who still posted a round of 68 on Saturday – when all he has done is remind us that it is possible for him to have an average day at the office.