While no player eight shots back of the lead heading into the final round of the WM Phoenix Open should really have been in contention to win, it seemed impossible to write off Scottie Scheffler’s chances of catching Thomas Detry at some stage on Sunday at TPC Scottsdale.
There were so many names in the chasing pack that it was hard to imagine no-one making a big push to put a bit of pressure on Thomas Detry at the WM Phoenix Open. And in the early stages, it appeared entirely possible that the world number one was going to be the man to lead the charge.
Scottie Scheffler was four under par through six holes, and he looked to be dialled in. Few would have ever predicted that that birdie on six would prove to be his last one of the tournament.
Scheffler missed a short putt on nine to get to the turn at five under for the day. And he went on to play the back nine in 41 to end up in a tie for 25th.
Concerning signs from Scottie Scheffler at the WM Phoenix Open
Perhaps Scheffler struggled for motivation once his chances of winning had been dashed. But it was the kind of performance fans would not have seen from the two-time Masters champion in 2024.
Scheffler let his frustration get the better of him on Saturday. And it seems that he is struggling to rediscover the magic which allowed him to win nine times worldwide last year.
Speaking on The First Cut, Greg DuCharme suggested that this is incredibly unfamiliar territory for Scheffler.
“This is proof that he’s human, and making me question everything I’ve ever known. I expected the run to continue. I thought when he missed the putt on nine, he was going to need a lot of help from Detry – and he was. He wasn’t going to play the last nine holes in 11 under, which he would’ve needed to do,” he said.
“But there’s definitely an issue that wasn’t just today, it wasn’t just on this back nine, but really throughout this week where Scottie Scheffler’s patented fade wasn’t really fading. He hit a number of pulls. And what was really interesting about it if you notice on those first six holes, a lot of left hole locations, so I wonder if those were really great shots or he was pulling them at the flag. The flag ended up being where he was missing. And then you get some hole locations in some other areas, like at number 12, and it gets away from you.
“That’s something that he’s got to clean up. No question about it, it’s a little concerning. He hit a couple of concerning chips, and ended up losing strokes both off the tee and approach the green and around the green. For the guy that dominates the tour in strokes gained tee to green to lose in every single one of those categories is definitely concerning.
“I do think he’ll get that straightened out, but this is the first time in about three years that I’ve actually seen an issue with Scottie’s swing, and actually something that he needs to clean up.”
Scheffler uncharacteristically poor at TPC Scottsdale
The problem is that Scheffler has set such high expectations that it is hard to not read into such a disappointing finish in Phoenix.
He has proved previously that he can pull off the miraculous. No-one will ever forget how he won the Olympic gold medal despite Jon Rahm starting the back nine on Sunday with a four-shot lead over the field.
But Scheffler produced his worst round of approach play since the start of 2024 on Saturday in Phoenix. And he ended up being 70th in the field for strokes gained off the tee during the final round.
With that, it is difficult not to have a few doubts about whether Scheffler really can get anywhere near matching the incredible achievements of last year.
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