Scottie Scheffler is among the players who have been off the pace at Oakmont Country Club this week, and he has seemingly started to lose his cool on the greens and fairways as a result
Scottie Scheffler was seen venting his frustration on the driving range ahead of his US Open third round, as he continues to grapple with a challenging tournament. Scheffler arrived at Oakmont Country Club with high hopes of securing a second consecutive major title, following his victory at the PGA Championship last month.
Since his triumph at Quail Hollow, which marked his third major win, the world No. 1 has successfully defended his title at the Memorial Championship. Despite recently finding form, Scheffler has had a tough first 36 holes at Oakmont.
He was four-over after two rounds, and the American didn’t hide his irritation while practising on the range. The harsh conditions at Oakmont make for an unpredictable final round, but Scheffler is by no means out of the running in the 125th US Open.
He wasted no time in trying to improve his game, heading straight to the range after completing his 18th hole on Friday, reports the Mirror US. After scoring a second-round 71, the three-time major champion was spotted sharing his frustrations to coach Randy Smith while hitting balls on the range.
Clearly dissatisfied with something in his swing, Scheffler was seen taking out his anger on a bucket of balls with his club. His frustration continued into Saturday too. Ahead of his third round, the 28-year-old was working on his chips in the practice area, hoping to climb up the leaderboard on moving day.
Scheffler’s irritation was palpable as he slammed his club into the ground after a disappointing chip shot. The first hole didn’t do much to soothe Scheffler’s nerves, with a bogey on the 487-yard par-four, although he did manage to claw back with a birdie on the next.
Another birdie followed for Scheffler on the sixth thanks to an impressive tee shot on the par-three, but he slipped up again with a bogey on the eighth. Throughout the US Open, Scheffler has not been shy about sharing his vexation. In the second round, after a wayward tee shot on the 12th, the world No. 1 couldn’t help but say: “Dang it!” before taking out his frustration on his driver and muttering to himself: “Make a swing…gosh, dang it.”
Meanwhile, speaking after the second round, Scheffler said: “I feel like I battled really hard. It’s challenging out there. I was not getting the ball in the correct spots and paying the price for it. Felt like me getting away with 1-over today wasn’t all that bad. It could have been a lot worse.”
After registering an even score on Saturday, Scheffler heads into the final round of the US Open at T11 alongside nine others with at four-over-par in total. Sam Burns currently leads the pack, eight strokes ahead at four-under, and Scheffler may need a miracle to run out victorious by the end of Sunday’s play.
However, Scheffler isn’t the only star who has landed on tough times at Oakmont this week. Ryder Cup stars Justin Rose and Shane Lowry left the tournament after two rounds with respective total scores of 14-over and 17-over, while last year’s champion, Bryson DeChambeau missed the cut at 10-over.
Two-time PGA Championship winner Justin Thomas was also omitted from the field on Friday after going 12-over in total. While Rory McIlroy has managed to make it to Sunday’s final, a total score of 10-over and sitting at T49 practically puts him out of the running for a second US Open title.