Scottie Scheffler’s Memorial three-peat bid opened with frustration, water trouble and rare doubt at brutal Muirfield Village.
Scottie Scheffler’s Memorial Tournament three-peat chase got messy fast at Muirfield Village, and for one rare afternoon, the world No. 1 looked every bit as annoyed as everyone else who tries to survive Jack Nicklaus’ place.
Scheffler opened with a 1-over 73 on Thursday, leaving him six shots behind the leaders after a round that turned from controlled to chaotic on the back nine.
The breaking point came at the par-3 16th, where he flushed a 7-iron, watched the wind flip, and saw the ball tumble into the water.
“I don’t know what to do,” Scheffler said on the tee, with Golf Channel microphones catching the frustration.
That pretty much summed up the day.
Scheffler had been cruising early, carding two birdies and no bogeys on the front nine.
Then Muirfield Village bit back. He bogeyed Nos. 10 and 14, failed to take advantage of the par-5s, and made double bogey at 16 after a shot he believed deserved a far better fate.
“I never thought that was in the water,” Scheffler said.
He added that the wind shifted from helping off the right to coming hard into him from the right.
“Like that was a good shot,” he said while walking to the drop zone. “It really was.”
The numbers were just as ugly. Scheffler hit only seven greens in regulation and lost more than two strokes on approach, a shocking dip for the best ball-striker in golf.
“There’s a lot you got to think about,” Scheffler said, noting the firm greens and unpredictable wind made the course even tougher.
Still, don’t bury him yet. Scheffler birdied No. 17, then went straight to the range after the round. His last over-par round came at The Genesis Invitational, where he responded with 68-66-65.
At Muirfield, he’s wounded. He’s not dead.
