What Brandel Chamblee noticed about Scottie Scheffler’s putting on the very first day of The Open, ‘that’s a fact’

Add as preferred source on Google

If there was any doubt heading into the tournament itself, Scottie Scheffler has surely confirmed his spot as the favourite for The Open Championship after leaving himself one shot off the lead in round one at Royal Portrush.

It would be a surprise if Scottie Scheffler did not manage to put himself in contention on Sunday at The Open Championship after he opened up with a 68 on Thursday in Northern Ireland.

Scheffler struggled to hit many fairways during his opening round at Portrush. However, his approach play was every bit as good as it usually is for the world number one.

But Scheffler also arrived with something of a point to prove.

Brandel Chamblee says Scottie Scheffler answered an important question in round one at The Open Championship

Scheffler registered yet another top 10 at the Genesis Scottish Open last week. However, the 29-year-old’s putting seemed to leave plenty to be desired.

Scheffler could not hide his frustration at times at The Renaissance Club. Obviously, the flat stick has previously been the real Achilles heel within his game.

But it seems that he managed to prove a real point during his opening round at the final major of the year. Just 16 players gained more shots on the greens than Scheffler in round one.

And speaking on Golf Channel, Brandel Chamblee suggested that Scheffler put to bed any concerns about his putting following the Scottish Open.

“That’s a fact, he was abysmal last week. He only made about half of his four to eight footers, and the last three Open Championships, he’s dead last in strokes gained putting coming in here. Paul McGinley offered the opinion that perhaps it was just the slow greens that were giving him questions. Whether it was the slow greens or he just couldn’t get the feel for them, either way, the data showed it was a weakness,” he said.

“So from the very first putt on, we were paying attention; does he have the right speed? Now, he drove it in the left rough at the first, so he was scrambling to find the green. Nice job, got it on there, but had some 50, 60 feet with a huge break here. You’re looking at it right there, what’s that, 12, 15 feet of break up and over the hill. Slow going up, fast coming down, difficult to get that speed right. He absolutely nailed it.

“So you thought, alright, he’s passed the test. Let’s go to the third, this is about 15 feet away after par at the first, par at the second, easy look for birdie here – and he gets it. Now, remember, over the last three years, putting you wouldn’t say was a strength of his, not by a long shot. It has turned into, not the strongest aspect of his game like off the tee or into the greens, but still, it is a strength. He is picking up strokes on the field week-in and week-out. Nice par save at the fourth. And, as the day wore on, you saw him making these par putts and he was air-punching.

“Air-punching on Thursday on par putts, I think he’s well aware that his putter was not working last week. Did some work on it Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and it’s paying off. Another par save at the eighth, he’d make a couple more on the back nine. But I think very quickly he put that big question mark and turned it into an exclamation point.”

Scottie Scheffler’s strokes gained numbers on Thursday at Royal Portrush

Other than his amazing approach play on Thursday, Scheffler’s putting was actually the strongest part of his game.

That is remarkable when you consider what happened in Scotland. Even if you acknowledge that the putting surfaces are very different this week, it is almost inevitable that your confidence would have taken a knock.

But Scheffler is perhaps the exception. He has been able to put all of that behind him, and he now looks ready to make a charge towards the Claret Jug.