Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images
The world’s number one, Scottie Scheffler, was happy with the flat stick after his opening round 63 at the Travelers Championship.
Scottie Scheffler, the number one ranked golfer in the world, posted a 7-under 63 Thursday for his opening round at the Travelers Championship. That was good enough for solo 4th, three shots behind Denny McCarthy.
After his round, Scheffler talked about what went well, as well as what did not. His answer was somewhat surprising considering his recent play.
Scottie Scheffler after shooting 63: “I didn’t drive it as well as I would have liked, but I did everything else well.”
— Kyle Porter (@KylePorterCBS) June 22, 2023
“I didn’t drive it as well as I would have liked, but I did everything else well,” CBS Sports’ Kyle Porter captured from Scheffler.
It must be a relief for Scottie to be happy with how he performed on the greens. He gained 1.08 strokes on the field Thursday putting. That has been his biggest weakness on tour this season.
To put it into context, at the Memorial Tournament a few weeks ago, Scheffler gained more than 19 strokes on the field tee to green. Yet, he gave back more than 10 shots to the field in putting alone. That’s an incredible and alarming disparity.
This past Sunday during the final round of the U.S. Open, Scheffler had a golden opportunity to come from behind and win his second major. Scheffler holed out on 17 to help finish eagle-birdie Saturday, vaulting him into contention. However, his inability to sink putts sank his chances during the final round.
Despite the massive struggles with the flat stick, the 27-year-old out of Texas has two wins, 13 top 10s and is ranked second behind Jon Rahm in the FedEx Cup points standings.
The Travelers Championship is another elevated event with a $20,000,000 purse. If Scheffler can show consistency on the greens, the driving likely will come back and the rest of the tour will be no notice.
