ATLANTA — Golf can even make the best players in the world look silly sometimes.
Look no further than what happened to World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler on Sunday at the Tour Championship.
After finding the greenside bunker on the drivable par-4 8th, Scheffler sunk into the sand and prepared to hit what looked like a routine shot from the trap. He then hit a cold-blooded shank, a shot that would embarrass a 25-handicapper, let alone the reigning Masters champion. His ball went straight off the hosel, rocketing dead right and beyond the green. It finally came to rest in a precarious position, 36 yards past the pin.
Scheffler ultimately made a bogey, which cut his lead to two over Collin Morikawa.
Scheffler’s shank led many fans to think of themselves while out on the course.
Oh my Scheffler…an absolute shank out of the bunker. Never seen him do anything like that.
— Andy Lang Bets (@BumpSports) September 1, 2024
Thank you Scottie Scheffler for that shank!!! Happens to us all!!! #golf
— Pep (@pepster1979) September 1, 2024
Scheffler just shanked it out of the sand.
I shank if out of the sand.
By the transitive property, my golf game = Scheffler’s game— Bob Lochel (@bobloch) September 1, 2024
Scheffler Shank! This is actually getting interesting.
— Robert Damron (@RobertDDamron) September 1, 2024
After Scheffler’s bogey, he rifled a 4-iron to five feet on the par-3 9th. He rebounded with a birdie there and added two more par-breakers on the 10th and 11th holes.
Yes, after he shanked it out of the bunker, Scheffler made three straight birdies to bounce back with a vengeance, reaffirming why he is the best player in the world.
Fans took notice, too.
three birdies after the shank
he’s built different
— TrackingScheffler (@SchefflerLegion) September 1, 2024
By the time he hit his tee shot on the 12th, Scheffler again held a five-shot lead, the same margin with which he began his final round.
Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough for more golf coverage. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko as well.
