Scottie Scheffler was unable to break a PGA Tour record held by Patrick Cantlay at the Procore Championship, with the world No. 1 facing a strange situation on the final hole of his opening round
Scottie Scheffler fell just short of making PGA Tour history at the Procore Championship, and the world No. 1 decided not to use a controversial rule in his favor.
The four-time major champion was chasing a record-breaking 22nd consecutive sub-70 round in succession, but he fell just short at Silverado Resort. The 29-year-old carded a two-under-par 70 after a frustrating day in Napa, California.
In prime scoring conditions, Scheffler was outplayed by playing partners Russell Henley and J.J. Spaun, who he will team up with at the Ryder Cup in two weeks. Fellow U.S. teammate Bryson DeChambeau, however, was forbidden from playing in the tune-up tournament alongside his countrymen.
Scheffler took a three-week break after the end of the FedEx Cup playoffs, and there were signs of rust in his game through his first 18 holes in Napa.
Yet in trademark Scheffler fashion, he managed to grind his way to a respectable score, even though it was not enough to set a new record of successive rounds in the 60s. His streak came to an end at 21, leaving him tied with Patrick Cantlay.
Scheffler needed a birdie at the par-five 18th to card a 69, but he was left to rue a poor tee shot, which was tugged way left into the trees.
His only option was to punch out into the 16th fairway due to trees interfering with his back swing. From there, his view of the 18th green was obscured by a large scoreboard and hospitality tents.
Those are deemed temporary immovable obstructions (TIOs), and Scheffler was entitled to a free drop to allow him a clear sight of the target. To the surprise of many viewers, the world No. 1 declined the option.
He would eventually finish with a par, he explained to reporters after his round why he did not take TIO relief.
“Oh, yeah. I was behind all those tents and a scoreboard, and I would have liked to have been able to see the pin when I was hitting my approach,” he said.
“Granted, you should probably be on the correct hole while doing that, but I could have gotten relief from the scoreboard or like the tent, like the whole grandstand tent area, but either one of them would have brought me into the rough so it wasn’t quite worth it.”
TIOs are widely unpopular with fans, with the rules open to exploitation to give players a lucky break after hitting a poor shot, so it doubtless pleased many viewers to see Scheffler play his ball as it lay.
In true Scheffler fashion, he responded with a classy four-under-par round on Friday to move into a tie for 14th place.
He trails 36-hole leader Ben Griffin, another member of the U.S. Ryder Cup team, by eight shots heading into the weekend.
