Scottie Scheffler shoots 1-over in ‘frustrating’ first round at Memorial Tournament presented by Workday

DUBLIN, Ohio – Scottie Scheffler stood baffled on Muirfield Village’s 16th tee, hat askew, staring at his biggest mistake of the day.

“I don’t know what to do,” he muttered loud enough for the Golf Channel microphones to hear.

Resignation is not a feeling Scheffler experiences often, particularly at this tournament, but it was about all he had left as his first round neared a merciful conclusion. Windy, firm conditions on Thursday afternoon flummoxed the world No. 1 in the opening salvo of his three-peat attempt at the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday. The golfer who has looked invincible around Jack’s place was reminded how 90% of the PGA TOUR experiences this test, and he didn’t like it.

That frustration culminated on the 16th, when Scheffler “flushed” a 7-iron but watched helplessly as the wind switched; his ball stood up in the wind and fell limply into the water. The result was a double bogey, his first of the day, and the release of the pent-up emotions that he held for much of the day.

“I never thought that was in the water,” Scheffler said in exasperation.

It was difficult to think this round was coming for Scheffler, either. He shot 1-over 73 to fall six shots behind a group of co-leaders at 5-under. Like he had to for so much of the early season, he will be fighting from behind to win. He hit only seven greens in regulation and lost more than two strokes on approach, an anomalous performance for the best ball-striker of the last four years.

“There's a lot you got to think about, and I think it gets even more challenging when the greens are this firm and the wind is unpredictable, especially on a day where the wind felt like it was going to be lighter and it was for most of the day,” Scheffler said.

The wind was lighter to start the day, but playing in the penultimate pairing gave Muirfield Village enough time to firm up and find some extra gusts to torment the afternoon wave. Scheffler was its loudest victim. He started well, making two birdies and no bogeys on the front nine, but the difficulty ratcheted up quickly from there. Scheffler dropped shots at 10 and 14 and failed to birdie either of the par 5s, 10 and 15.

Scheffler had not enjoyed his round to that point, to be sure, even-par through 15 holes, but he had avoided disaster. ‘Had’ being the operative word. Now it was here. Scheffler and caddie Ted Scott judged the wind wrong on the par-3 16th tee shot and found the water. Scheffler couldn’t help but let his frustrations out.

“Like that was a good shot,” he said as he walked to the drop zone. “It really was.”

Scheffler added more context after the round, saying, “The wind switched from down off the right to pretty significantly in off the right. If it's down off the right, that ball's probably where I hit my wedge shot to (10 feet). So just don't really know what I'm supposed to do there outside of trying to hit a good shot, and then it's frustrating when it doesn't work out, especially when it doesn't work out in that direction.”

Scheffler did well to make a birdie on the 17th, but the damage was done. It was his first over-par round since The Genesis Invitational in February. The good news? Scheffler shot 68-66-65 over the next three days at The Riviera Country Club. Following these brief moments of frustration, Scheffler has regularly bounced back and nearly won.

Within 30 minutes of the round ending, Scheffler’s frustration had subsided. He went to the range after the round, starting conversations with Xander Schauffele and Matt Fitzpatrick as he walked. He joked with Fitzpatrick about the Englishman’s obsession with numbers, then found his spot on the range and started to hit.

“A day like today, I'm not sure from where our tee times were if there was going to be very many low rounds out there,” he said. “... I might be two or three shots away from the low round where if we're all sitting in that situation.”