It’s been a long season. Scottie Scheffler has played in 17 PGA Tour events and finished an astounding 16 times among the top 10. The World No. 1 has his six wins in 2024, and every shot of every round seems like it could be the difference in whether he lifts a trophy. Scheffler also entered the FedEx Cup Playoffs with a huge lead that he’s hoping to protect.
That’s got to get to anybody, including the player who’s most often described as a character who cannot be rattled. And for Scheffler, the breaking point appeared out there for all to see in the second round of the BMW Championship at Castle Pines in Colorado.
Though a “bad” round in which Scheffler struggled in every facet led to a not-so-terrible 72 that put him at T-29, the Texan showed more frustration than he has at any point this season. He gestured angrily on some holes and produced what seemed to be a sarcastic salute after putting out for bogey.
But his biggest tantrum came at the par-4 10th, and guaranteed, you’ve never seen Scottie quite this hot. For context, he’d driven into the right rough and then badly mishit his approach and watched it go into the water. From the drop zone, hit approach landed just past the flagstick, but kicked hard over the green. He eventually made a double bogey.
His reaction? The equivalent of a big-league baseball skipper flipping the food spread in the clubhouse:
Yes, that was indeed Scottie capping his tirade with a “What the f—k.” And, sorry, but when he starts asking “how?” and the volume rises to your dad scolding you for getting a speeding ticket, it’s just plain funny. "HOW/! HOW IS THAT POSSIBLE?!"
The guys in the NBC Sports booth seemed surprised and bemused, and later, on-course commentator Jim “Bones” Mackay noted on the 18th hole when Scheffler hit into a fairway bunker, “I have never seen Scottie struggle on the greens like I have today. Really struggling with reading the greens correctly.
“He’s been very demonstrative out here, and a little sarcastic at times,” Mackay added. “And I get it. It’s been a long year. He’s played exceptionally well, and he’s probably a little. run down. But he’s got to find some energy; he’s got a lot of golf to play and some important things to play for in the next couple of weeks.”
Of note, the round of 72 was Scheffler’s second-worst of the year, behind the 73 he scored in the second round of the PGA Championship. We know what happened there: He suffered a huge letdown on the day after he was arrested outside Valhalla Golf Club and came back later in the day to open with a 67.
As a golf equivalent, Friday’s round at Castle Pines was like serving jail time.