The most tired version of Scottie Scheffler also plays under par. Today, the recent winner of the Masters of Augusta has admitted to being mentally exhausted and, even so, he has passed through the clubhouse with two under par at the start of the RBC Heritage. Scheffler has tried to be patient with himself, give himself a little break and take advantage of the competition’s own energy to recover. In fact, he admitted at the end that he was more rested before the round than after finishing it and, that the frustration of seeing that things were not going well for him, has helped him to fight even more… Things that only make sense in a Number One.
The American has handed in a card of 69 strokes that place him among the top thirty in the tournament and that will not prevent him from fighting for the tournament. Today was a day to take a break, Scheffler affirmed, and he has done so by keeping his options intact. Things that these competitive animals have. Failure makes them grow and frustration is a battery for their game. Playing the week after winning a Major is not easy and the proof is that the last one to win the following week was in 2006 and a certain Tiger Woods. Surely Scottie has that data on the radar.
One who maintains the positive momentum from the Masters of Augusta is Collin Morikawa (-6). The Californian has started the tournament with a more than positive six under par that lifts him to the second place in the tournament. Morikawa admitted as soon as he finished the Masters that he had found very positive things in his game and that he was convinced he was going in the right direction. It seems he was not wrong. At this moment he is second tied with Seamus Power two strokes behind the leader.
Let’s talk about the best of the day in Hilton Head. JT Poston (-8) has handed in today at the Heritage a card of 63 strokes that put him at the top of the leaderboard. It seems that fatherhood has unleashed him. If Scheffler is waiting for the birth of his son, Poston’s wife gave birth less than a month ago. Well, little Scottie is already facing her first big trip, Yes, yes, the girl is named after the boy who never gets tired of winning tournaments. The entire Poston family has enjoyed today one of JT’s best tournament starts. The player from North Carolina has built his good day mainly with the putter where he is the second best player of the day. Poston has not known what it is to win since he did it two years ago in the John Deere Classic and wants to give his newborn girl a victory to remember.
Another one who doesn’t understand about tiredness is Ludvig Åberg (-5). The Swede signs another good start and you’re not going to guess… he finished the day among the top ten, specifically in the top 5. The clock or the Swedish robot, as you prefer, continues to dazzle week after week. Today, among other moments, he shone at the start of hole 9, a short par 4 of 300 meters, where he passed the flag by a few centimeters, although the ball was going very fast, and ended up leaving the ball in the rough behind the green. Two putts and birdie to the song. To this must be added the 10-meter putt he holed on the penultimate hole and the eagle on hole 5. Only one mistake blurs his card.
Another of the big names making an appearance at the Heritage is Rory McIlroy (-4). The Northern Irishman has started the tournament very well, sneaking into the top 10 with four under par. Neither the siren songs of his departure to the LIV nor his umpteenth failure in Augusta seem to have affected him in the slightest.
