Scottie Scheffler shows ANGRY OUTBURST during FedEx St. Jude round one
World No.1 Scottie Scheffler didn't have his A-game in the first round of the FedEx St. Jude Invitational and he showed his frustration on the 16th hole.
Professional golf is a brutally frustrating world and even the most mild-mannered players such as World No.1 Scottie Scheffler can lose their cool from time to time.
Scheffler was in a group with Open champion and newly-recruited LIV Golf rebel Cameron Smith and four-time PGA Tour winner Sam Burns on Thursday at TPC Southwind.
Having played his opening six holes in 3-over-par, Scheffler had a good opportunity on the par-5 16th hole to make a birdie and claw back a shot. But he missed his 10 foot putt and settled for par.
Just after his ball curled low of the hole, the 26-year-old couldn't contain his anger and manically smacked his putter a couple of times. He went on to shoot 1-over-par, nine shots behind co-leaders Si Woo Kim and J.J. Spaun.
World #1 showing some frustration. pic.twitter.com/sqeWcSJzVp
— Rickie Fowler Tracker (@Rickie_Tracker) August 11, 2022
This was not the only point of the first round in Memphis when Scheffler's behaviour caught the eye. He appeared to walk across Cameron Smith's line while the Aussie was reading a putt on the par-4 12th green.
However, when Smith holed out for an eagle on the par-4 13th hole from 156 yards, Scheffler wasted no time in congratulating his FedEx Cup opponent, so I wouldn't read too much into what happened on the 12th.
Smith kept up his scintillating form with a solid 3-under-par 67 in yesterday's first round. He is five shots behind the leaders in a week where his loyalty to the Tour has been questioned following strong reports of his move to the LIV Golf Tour.
In terms of the FedEx Cup standings, Scheffler entered the week 1,221 points clear of Smith and 1,281 points clear of his good friend Burns, who he lost to in a playoff at the Charles Schwab Challenge.
Scheffler has been the standout player on Tour this year by a long way. He has won four times, including his maiden major title at The Masters and he's spent 20 weeks at World No.1.