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Scheffler may be struggling with his putter, but two hole outs on Friday at the Genesis Invitational suggest he can still win.
Scottie Scheffler has struggled to make short putts the last couple of years. Those putting woes have been glaringly obvious this week at the Genesis Invitational.
So what does the No. 1 ranked player in the world do when his flat stick isn’t cooperating? He holes out twice in his first 11 holes Friday.
Scheffler’s first hole out came at the par-4 5th for birdie after starting his round with four straight pars.
The 27-year-old was just off the green below the hole, with plenty of room to work with. He simply chipped it up and let it run all the way to the hole for a bird.
He added another birdie on six after he stuffed it to four feet from the hole.
But his second hole out was something to behold.
He left his second shot at the par-5 11th in the greenside bunker. The 2022 Masters champion hit a fantastic shot out of the sand trap, and the crowd went nuts when it bounced into the cup for an eagle.
You can argue it was a bit fortuitous considering if the ball misses the hole it rolls well past. But precision is king around the greens.
Scheffler incredibly missed eight putts inside 10 feet on Day 1. On Friday, he reminded everyone why he ranks No. 1 in the world. He doesn’t necessarily have to succeed in putting to win tournaments.
While the eagle was fantastic, Scheffler immediately coughed up a shot on 12 thanks to, yup, you guessed it, a three-putt bogey.
At the time of publishing, the former Texas Longhorn ranks No. 7 off the tee in strokes gained and No. 2 in strokes gained around the green, gaining 4.7 shots on the field. Those two hole outs certainly helped.
However, Scheffler has lost three strokes to the field when the flat stick is in his hand, ranking No. 67 in strokes gained putting. Maybe putting it with a wedge will help his cause. Or he could find ways to make more hole outs to avoid losing more strokes on the greens.
Regardless, no one can count him out because even when the putter is ice-cold, Scheffler hits it close enough to keep scoring.
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.
