Scottie Scheffler battled through his four days at Royal Birkdale to give himself a chance of retaining the Claret Jug.
It’s been the story of the year for Scheffler: not looking quite at his brilliant best, but somehow when he’s coming down the stretch on Sunday, he’s one or two shots off the lead and trying to make a charge. Even though he doesn’t have it, it’s inspiring stuff.
In the end, Scheffler finished T4 at The Open, his third top five at a major championship of the season. Not bad for an off year. But with that said, he looked to be a frustrated figure through much of the week because of a glaring hole in his game.
But all it took was four days for the world number one to fix his biggest issue from The Open.
Scottie Scheffler corrects putting woes from The Open
Through three rounds, Scheffler was one of the three worst putters in The Open Championship field. He couldn’t hole a thing, missing short putts constantly and getting nothing to go for birdie.
That was particularly painful when you consider how good his iron play was. He was finding nearly every green in regulation, giving himself 10-15 footers for birdie on almost every hole. But none of them dropped.
Scheffler lost 0.29 strokes to the field with his putting at the tournament, even after a brilliant showing on the greens on Sunday.
But it didn’t take long for the world number one to correct this issue. He’s playing at the 3M Open this week, and through one round he’s three shots back of the lead. That’s in large part thanks to his putting.
Scheffler was the third-best putter in the field through 18 holes, gaining 3.42 strokes with his flatstick. He must be happy to be back on American greens!
Scottie Scheffler’s struggles on links greens continue
Scheffler has had some trouble in recent years adjusting to the slower speeds of links greens. The Scottish Open, played the week before The Open, has been a challenge for the four-time major winner over the years, and until 2025, he didn’t look like he’d be able to conquer the British putting surfaces.
At Royal Portrush, he was incredible on the greens, allowing him to dominate the field on his way to the Claret Jug, but these struggles returned at Royal Birkdale.
Speaking before this year’s Scottish Open, Scheffler explained why he has so much trouble on links greens: “I’d say one of the things that takes a little bit more time to get used to would be the speed of the greens.
“It’s unique for us because the greens are quite firm, but they are also a little bit slower than what we are used to at home.
“So getting used to how the ball runs on the green, especially when you are hitting pitches. Like I said, they are a bit slower, so just really ingraining that into your head, the speed of the greens. That’s why it’s really nice to get over and play some competitive golf the week before as well because everything always feels a little bit different when you get out there in competition.
“So yeah, I wouldn’t say it’s necessarily one shot. It’s more just getting used to the conditions more so than anything. I actually like over here that when you’re putting from off the green, it’s a bit easier in the States because there’s not a huge difference in the speed.
“You know, it’s obviously still a little bit slower on the fairway but it’s not anything drastic. A lot of times in the States, you can get fairways that are longer and greens that are lightness fast. If you’re putting up a slope, it’s very slow going up the slope, and when it gets on the green, it takes off.
“Here, you can tell why you play so many different types of shots just because the ball slows down on the greens pretty quickly. But when you are playing the ball in the air, it’s bouncing. So typically, it’s easier to get the ball closer to the hole when you are hitting it on the ground.”
Now he’s back on American soil, and he’s back to putting well. That’s a great sign for the rest of his season, but a concerning sign for his future at The Open Championship.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
