Photo by Logan Riely/Getty Images
Scheffler showed he is still human on 18 at the Houston Open as he struggled with his putter once again.
Scottie Scheffler reminded the golf world that he is, in fact, mortal on Friday at the Houston Open.
A three-putt on 18 from seven feet saw him card an even-par 70. After the first putt lipped out, the Texan inexplicably missed the tap in for a double bogey six.
In doing so, Scheffler ended his streak of consecutive rounds under par at 28, which was a PGA Tour record.
He also snapped his 218-hole streak of no double bogies or worse. Incredibly, it was just Scheffler’s second double of the season.
The 27-year-old skipped last week’s Valspar Championship to rejuvenate after winning back-to-back PGA Tour events. Scheffler came to Houston beardless but rested.
After his round, he hinted at what caused the three-putt.
“I think that’s why sometimes you see stuff like that happen on 18 — that’s mental fatigue, that’s all that is, just a lapse in judgment,” he said. “I’m obviously a touch frustrated with how I finished, but overall, I’m still in the middle of the tournament.”
“Felt like I hit a good putt on the first one — maybe went barely through the break so obviously it was a bit frustrating hitting a good putt and it not going in. Second one I guess just hit a little fast and didn’t see a spike mark there.”
Scheffler started his day with a bogey but turned his front nine around, picking up three birdies.
However, things got rocky for the World No. 1 golfer on the back nine. Scheffler dropped a shot on 11 but birdied 12. He lost another shot on the par-4 14th.
“I think the conditions were extremely challenging. The wind was blowing very, very hard, and the tough part was how gusty it was,” the 2022 Masters champ noted. “If you took an average wind speed, it probably wouldn’t have been that crazy, but when it’s gusting from 10 to 30 all day, it makes everything you’re doing out there pretty challenging.”
Scheffler was No. 31 in strokes gained off the tee, No. 47 in approach to the green and No. 55 in putting. He only hit 61.5% of the fairways — his season average is 77%. Interestingly, Scheffler leads the field in strokes gained around the green, picking up 3.557 shots.
It’s been a while since the 8-time PGA Tour winner showed any weakness like that.
Nevertheless, this one slip-up isn’t a dealbreaker for Scheffler.
“My game feels like it’s in a good spot,” Scheffler said. “The conditions today made it challenging with gusty winds coming from different directions. When the wind’s more consistent, it could be blowing 25; it’s a bit easier, but when it comes in and out like it was today, it can be pretty challenging, especially on the greens.”
Despite his putting woes on 18, the former Texas Longhorn is still within reach of the Houston Open title. He sits four shots off the leader and defending champ, Tony Finau, who tied the course record with an 8-under 62.
Scheffler will have to push that final putt out of his mind if a three-peat on the PGA Tour is in his cards.
Savannah Leigh Richardson is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. For more golf coverage, be sure to follow us @_PlayingThrough on all major social platforms. You can also follow her on Twitter @SportsGirlSL and Instagram @savannah_leigh_sports.
