Scottie Scheffler went back to old faithful Thursday at The Players – it just didn’t quite live up to that moniker.
After finally switching into TaylorMade’s new Qi4D driver at last week’s Arnold Palmer Invitational and having so-so results (19th in strokes gained: off-the-tee), Scheffler decided to return to the Qi10 that he’s used for the better part of two years. However, Scheffler found just seven of 14 fairways during an even-par 72 around TPC Sawgrass.
“It’s easier hitting it from the fairway than it is from the rough,” Scheffler said afterward. “I played from the rough a lot today.”
All seven of Scheffler’s missed fairways were to the right, which was the opposite of what happened at Bay Hill. Scheffler said he’s seen positives with the new driver, such as more consistent spin and a touch more speed.
He’s still not full comfortable shaping drives though.
“The way I play, I always hit so many different types of shots, and the one last week felt like it was going a little left on me, and when I want to hit my peeler a lot of times I would hit it out of the middle of the face it would start drawing on me,” Scheffler said. “So, I think that’s a little bit today why the ball started going right. … I don’t think I had enough trust in what the driver head was doing compared to where I was last week. I think it can be tough sometimes to kind of block that stuff out.”
Scheffler was improved with the irons after entering this week ranked 88th in strokes gained: approach. He hit a nice 9-iron 158 yards to 2 feet to set up birdie at the par-4 sixth, his 15th hole of the day, then added a half-wedge to inches for another birdie at his last, the par-5 ninth.
But Scheffler still rued the handful of poor shots that led to him offsetting his four birdies with four bogeys, including at Nos. 7 and 8.
“I gave up some shots late that I shouldn’t have,” Scheffler added. “I felt like I got a bad lie in the rough on 8, missed on the correct side, but 7 I made a mental error; 2 was messy after getting it in the fairway. So, just little stuff. Just got to be a little sharper.”
The best part of Scheffler’s game Thursday?
“I would argue that the only thing I did all that great today was putt,” said Scheffler, who will likely finish the round somewhere inside the top 25 in strokes gained: putting.