Today, yes. Today, Scottie Scheffler (-11) has indeed reminded us of the A.R. version (Before Ravioli). And it’s not just because he’s taken the lead at the Texas Children’s Houston Open or because he shot 62, equalling the record at Memorial Park, a record that was already in his shared possession with Tony Finau, but because of the impression he has given. The lead and the record are a consequence, not the ultimate goal of what was witnessed this Friday. Scheffler leads the standings by one shot over Taylor Pendrith (-10), three over Jackson Suber, and four over Eric Cole, Keith Mitchell, Rasmus Hojgaard, and Gary Woodland.
The numbers are irrefutable. He hit 9 out of 13 fairways and only missed one green in regulation. The one he missed was by two fingers, and he holed it from outside with a putt. He made eight birdies and didn’t have the slightest chance of making a bogey. Scottie is finally levitating in the Scheffler dimension. That dimension where he offers unmatched power from tee to green, a colossal sense of control. It’s the playstation mode. Every shot goes where he wants, a metre up, a metre down. And when he misses, even slightly, it’s to the good side.
Let’s not get it wrong in the analysis. Scheffler had good rounds this year. Otherwise, you don’t finish third at the Genesis, ninth at Pebble Beach, and your worst result is 25th, having played on demanding courses like Bay Hill or TPC Sawgrass. The Number One had managed to perform, but he hadn’t reached the level of control he displayed today in Houston. This is indeed a novelty this year.
Apart from the 1st hole, his tenth this Friday, where he left the ball almost 20 metres away for birdie, practically all his shots ended within a range of one and a half to nine metres from the hole. He putted for birdie from less than eight metres on 14 of the 18 holes. It was that feeling of absolute dominance of the situation.
Scheffler has brought back that version that was missed. It’s the first time in 2025, and now it’s time to see if he can maintain it over the weekend. It’s that version where a bad putting day results in one or two under par, a normal day easily achieves four under, and an excellent day on the greens, like today, ends with -8. Because it must be said that he holed a putt of almost nine metres, another close to eight, one more of six and a half, and three others between three and four metres. Brutal. That’s it. Eight under.
And yes, what everyone is thinking right now, with the Masters Tournament just around the corner. We’ll see if today’s performance is just a flash and if he still has steps to take to regain the sublime consistency of last year. Otherwise, Scottie has reconnected with his best dimension in time and place.
