Scottie Scheffler entered the Waste Management Phoenix Open expecting to contend.
He’d just come off the back of winning his first PGA Tour event of the season, the American Express, and it was beginning to feel like nobody could beat the four-time major winner.
But shockingly, he beat himself in the opening round of TPC Scottsdale. Scheffler shot a two-over-par 73 over his first 18 holes, and it was suddenly called into question as to whether he would make the weekend.
But a second round 65 put those fears to rest, as Scheffler is now four-under for the tournament and ready to play the weekend. He looked back to his brilliant best in the second round, and that’s because of one key change that he made between Thursday and Friday.
The change Scottie Scheffler made at the WM Phoenix Open
Scheffler isn’t a big believer in working mid-tournament to find his swing, and admitted that he didn’t even want to practice after his opening round.
But he did hit the range and found something in his grip that allowed him to get himself back in the tournament.
Speaking to reporters after his second round, Scheffler said, “Yeah, I’ve also been a proponent of saying you can’t really find it during the tournament week, but I found a little something in my grip yesterday that seemed to really help me get my hands more securely on the club.
“Yeah, struck it much better today. Yeah, felt a bit lost out there at times yesterday, so today felt a lot better. Felt more in control of my game. You can obviously see that through the cleaner card today.”
He continued, “It’s kind of hard to explain. Just getting my hands a little bit more securely on the club is how I would describe it. Yesterday was a dig-it-out-of-the-dirt type of day in the afternoon. I try to avoid those as much as possible at tournaments, but after the way I felt over the ball yesterday, it was definitely needed.
“I almost was so discouraged I almost didn’t even want to go practice. I went out there, and it was well worth it. I felt like I had hit a ton of balls to start the week, more than I normally would; didn’t really pay off.
“It was nice to get into a groove today. I didn’t hit it that good on the front nine. Making the turn I struck it really well. Stuck it really well on the back nine.”
Scottie Scheffler’s biggest improvement after poor round one at WM Phoenix Open
Traditionally, Scheffler’s biggest weakness has been his putting, but that wasn’t the case in his first round in Phoenix. He actually gained a small amount on the field on the greens during his difficult round.
Scheffler’s biggest issue during Thursday’s play was everything from tee to green. His chipping was dreadful, losing nearly two strokes to the field around the green, and he lost 2.45 strokes from tee to green.
But that weakness became a strength on Friday. He ranked fourth in the field in that category, gaining 3.75 strokes. That’s a 6.2 stroke swing from one round to the next.
The best players of all time can all bounce back from a bad day, and now Scheffler is sneakily in contention, only seven shots back of the lead.
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