How was it? “When he putts badly, you’ll still see him fighting for victory or he ends up in the top ten; when he putts just decently, he wins; when he putts well, he goes far away”. Something like this was said by Tiger Woods (we have added some novelty points) about Scottie Scheffler (-9) and something like this is happening this week at the Memorial after two rounds. The Texan is not being the best putter in these first 36 holes, but he is among the best (13th in the SG:Putting statistic) and, true to Woods’ equation, he is starting to go far away, as he already enjoys a comfortable three-stroke lead over his immediate pursuers, Adam Hadwin (-6) and Viktor Hovland (-6).
Otherwise, few news: nobody has taken more greens in regulation than Scheffler in these first two rounds and nobody has been better from the tee. He, on the other hand, signed the second best card on the first day, a 67 only surpassed by Hadwin’s 66, and has again delivered the second best card on Friday, a 68 only surpassed by Christiaan Bezuidenhout (-5), a player who has already shown many times that he performs very well in complicated scenarios. Because that’s what Muirfield Village is this week (and almost always), a blessed minefield for golfers, a gentleman’s test, a luxury preparation for the US Open, a very tough test. If the wind also blows strongly, as it has done today at times…
You can look at it another way. Kurt Kitayama (+12) won the Arnold Palmer Invitational just over a year ago at a fierce Bay Hill; Patrick Cantlay (+7) has already won twice at Muirfield Village (2019 and 2021); And Stephan Jaeger (+6) has been one of the few able to withstand Scheffler’s onslaught in recent months, taking the victory in Houston just ahead of the Number One… However, none of the three will be in contention this weekend and nobody is scandalized by it. These are the things of golf: it is impossible to always have the game sharp. Unless you’re Scottie Scheffler, of course.
Xander Schauffele (-3), Collin Morikawa (-2) or Ludvig Aberg (-4), will be there on Saturday and Sunday, and we might even see them fighting for victory, as they still have room to manoeuvre in 36 holes, but today they couldn’t win the tough battle against the course. And nobody is scandalized. It’s normal. Sometimes one is more inspired, in tune, and sometimes one fights more to minimize damage or even not to derail. Unless you’re Scottie Scheffler, of course, with whom it is worth noting: he is almost always in tune, very solid, and we almost never see him fighting just not to derail. He is a disproportionate world Number One and it is a wonder to see him in action.
Today he seemed to grant a truce by signing a bogey on hole 11, par 5, and another one on 13. But he responded by creating a great birdie option on 14, which he wouldn’t take advantage of, making the eagle on 15 after hitting a great shot and sinking a putt that was less than three meters away, and finished with one more birdie on 18, hitting the second shot from a street bunker.
The rest of the competitors will take turns in excellence (and at the highest levels of efficiency), and it is even likely that more than one will be able to push Scottie to the limit, but this week, another one, it would be strange if Scheffler was not among the three or four chosen in the long final sprint of the last nine or six holes, to the delight of Mr. Nicklaus, who understands life and golf as a permanent and severe (merciless?) exercise of meritocracy.
