Scottie Scheffler will have mixed feelings after his opening round at the PGA Championship on Thursday, with the world number one posting a two under par 69 at Quail Hollow.
There was huge anticipation ahead of Scottie Scheffler‘s opening tee shot at the PGA Championship. Of course, he was alongside Rory McIlroy and Xander Schauffele. And it was Scheffler’s first appearance in a tournament since he won The CJ CUP Byron Nelson by eight shots.
Ultimately, it was something of an anticlimax for the trio. McIlroy and Schauffele may have plenty of work to do to even make the cut. Meanwhile, Scheffler seemed to have some uncharacteristic moments in North Carolina.
The 28-year-old made a double bogey on the 16th hole, and made two more bogeys during his round. But perhaps Scheffler had a reason for not finding his best form at times on Thursday.
Scottie Scheffler left extremely frustrated after his first round at the PGA Championship
The wet conditions were a big talking point leading up to the tournament. Nevertheless, the PGA of America decided against sanctioning lift, clean and place for the first round.
And when asked about the double bogey he made on 16, Scheffler expressed his annoyance at the lack of changes being made by the organisers.
“Yeah, Marty just asked me about that, actually and I kept the honour with making a double on a hole, and I think that will probably be the first and last time I do that in my career unless we get some crazy weather conditions,” he said.
“It’s one of those deals where it’s frustrating to hit the ball in the middle of the fairway and get mud on it and have no idea where it’s going to go. I understand it’s part of the game, but there’s nothing more frustrating for a player. You spend your whole life trying to learn how to control a golf ball, and due to a rules decision all of a sudden you have absolutely no control over where that golf ball goes.
“But I don’t make the rules. I just have to deal with the consequences of those rules. I did a good job of battling back today and not letting a bad break like that, which cost me a couple shots, get to me. Did a good job battling after that and posting a decent score.”
Why the mental game is going to be particularly important for Scottie Scheffler at Quail Hollow
Scheffler did an excellent job of fighting back to post what appears to be a very respectable score, particularly with so many surprise names at the top of the leaderboard.
Two birdies in his final six holes will give him a lot of belief and confidence heading into the rest of the week.
But with the course set to dry out over the coming days, that issue with mud balls is only likely to get worse. If Scheffler can keep a lid on his frustration, he will certainly be incredibly dangerous.
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