Scottie Scheffler was widely criticized for his behavior at The Memorial on Thursday.
Scheffler clashed with his caddie, Ted Scott, after his tee shot on the par-three 16th hole found the water during his first round.
The 29-year-old world number one has cut a frustrated figure all week out on the golf course at Muirfield Village.
Scottie Scheffler was nowhere near his best on Thursday and Friday at The Memorial Tournament.
Scheffler’s frustrations boiled over on day one of The Memorial, when he berated Ted Scott for a full five minutes after he misjudged the wind before the Dallas native dumped his tee shot into the water on the 16th hole.
And there have been suggestions that there was a tense atmosphere between Scheffler and Ted Scott on Friday at Muirfield Village as well.
Rich Beem speculates the reason behind Scottie Scheffler’s behavior at Memorial
Rich Beem was speaking on Sky Sports in the UK on Saturday afternoon.
Beem responded when asked what he honestly made of Scheffler’s petulant outburst towards Ted Scott on Thursday.
“I think it’s the simple fact he has not produced what he has the last couple of seasons. He has been firing on all cylinders for quite some time now and he’s a little bit off,“ Beem said.
“I could not tell you why. I don’t see anything wrong with his swing, to me in fact, to me with the driver sometimes he looks even better because he’s limiting some of his foot movement which helps him keep more control of it. But it’s just off.
“This is a golf course which should be right up his alley, because this demands perfection. Look at the guys who have won here, Tiger Woods, Scottie Scheffler. It’s all about precision but if you are a little bit off it’s going to show you that.
“On 16 it wasn’t just about that shot on 16, he was already frustrated with his game going in there. He had gotten off to a great start and let everything slip away, 16 was just a culmination of it. And sometimes you have just got to let it out.“
Rich Beem comments on why Scottie Scheffler might be struggling
Beem responded when asked why Scheffler has struggled to match the form he showed over the past few years this season.
“All I know is that every once in a while he hits these wedges that are completely off. He misses them way left or hits them really short with a lot of spin on them,“ he said.
“It is really perplexing to see him struggle with such short irons over this season.
“He has not been anywhere near where he was the last couple of seasons and right now that is what is holding him back.
“He is giving himself fewer and fewer chances to make some of those putts which he has been holing since going with the claw grip.
“He is hitting bizarre short iron shots all season long and it’s continuing this week.“
Scheffler’s swing is definitely longer this season than it has been in previous years, and his club is pointing across the line at the top.
On the range prior to The Memorial, it seemed as though Scheffler had addressed those issues. However, his recent swing problems have reared their ugly head once again at Muirfield Village.
Only time will tell whether it’s a short-term problem that he has or something more long-term.
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