Scottie Scheffler is guaranteed to be atop the FedExCup points list after this week, putting him in good position for another $5 million bonus, and his performance this week and next won’t affect his standing entering the playoff finale at East Lake.
So, the world No. 1 should be feeling carefree at the FedEx St. Jude Championship, right?
Well …
Scheffler shot 4-under 66 Friday at TPC Southwind to finish at 7 under par, six back of leader Tommy Fleetwood. It was a decent score, but one with too many dropped shots that led to a few outbursts.
Scheffler had eight birdies and four bogeys in sweltering second round in Memphis, Tennessee. One of those bogeys came at the par-4 10th, where Scheffler hit his approach shot into the right greenside bunker. His escape raced past the pin and into the fringe, 16 feet from the hole. He slammed his wedge multiple times into the sand before two-putting.
As he often does, however, Scheffler responded with a birdie at the par-3 11th and made two more at Nos. 13 and 14. But then came a bogey-birdie-bogey sandwich at the 15th, 16th and 17th holes.
On the par-4 17th, Scheffler hit his tee shot right, immediately dropping his driver to the ground and then catching himself just before kicking it. Playing his approach shot from the rough, his ball shot left and into more rough around the green, to which an exasperated Scheffler said: “Can I get one lie that’s just not the worst lie ever? Just one! Just one!”
He continued his express his angst while walking away from the offending lie.
The scene was reminiscent of last year’s playoffs when Scheffler had a mini meltdown at the BMW Championship in Colorado.
Scheffler, a two-time major champion this year and the defending FedExCup champion, bogeyed the 17th and parred the 18th.