Scottie Scheffler loses cool and slams club in bunker at FedEx St Jude Championship
Scottie Scheffler displayed a rare bit of emotion following a poorly executed bunker shot in the first round of the FedEx St Jude Championship at TPC Southwind.
Scottie Scheffler was seen slamming his club into the sand after a poor greenside bunker shot on the par-4 13th in the first round of the FedEx St. Jude Championship at TPC Southwind.
The outburst from Scheffler surprised those in the Sky Sports Golf commentary box since the runaway World No.1 rarely lets his emotions get the better of him after a poorly struck shot.
Not that he plays bad shots too often, you could add.
Scheffler drove into the left fairway bunker on the 13th and then found more sand to the right of the green.
He caught too much ball with his third shot and then reacted by slamming his wedge into the sand.
"Woah, woah, you don't see that very often... first time I've ever seen that from Scottie Scheffler," said a shocked David Howell in the Sky Sports Golf commentary box.
"It just shows you his desire and determination to win every single week that he's out there," added Sky Sports Golf's Andrew Coltart.
On-course commentator Rich Beem said he was "not surprised to see that reaction" since Scheffler had left a number of shots out there in the first round.
Scheffler's ball ended up some 15 feet away and he would miss the par putt to record his first bogey of the round.
Scroll below to watch Scheffler's strop...
Despite the blip on the 13th, the runaway FedEx Cup leader is still off to a solid start at the 70-man FedEx St Jude Championship, which marks the first event of the Playoffs.
As it stands, Scheffler is 4-under par for the round and just two shots off the pace currently set by US compatriot Chris Kirk, who made a hole-in-one on the par-3 14th.
Scheffler started the first round with four birdies on the first six holes.
That included a period where he found the water with his second shot on the par-5 3rd but still managed to save par.
Scheffler enjoys a commanding lead in the FedEx Cup standings right now having landed six titles on the circuit this season.
It's seven wins if you count his gold medal triumph at the Olympic Golf Competition at Le Golf National in Paris earlier this month.
Scottie Scheffler not a fan of the current FedEx Cup format
The two-time Masters champion believes the PGA Tour's current format to determine the winner of the FedEx Cup is just 'silly'.
In all likelihood, Scheffler will start with a two-shot lead heading into the Tour Championship based on the staggered scoring start at the end of the month.
But he knows over 72 holes, that lead could be gone in an instant, especially with East Lake specialist Xander Schauffele and record three-time FedEx Cup champion Rory McIlroy hot on his heels in the standings.
Scheffler questions how the PGA Tour can really call the FedEx Cup 'a season-long race'.
"Yeah, I mean, I talked about it the last few years," said Scheffler when pressed by the media on still not being secure of the FedEx Cup despite owning an enormous points lead in the FedEx Cup standings.
"I think it's silly. You can't call it a season-long race and have it come down to one tournament.
"Hypothetically we get to East Lake and my neck flares up and it doesn't heal the way it did at The Players, I finish 30th in the FedExCup because I had to withdraw from the last tournament? Is that really the season-long race? No. It is what it is.
"It's a fun tournament. I don't really consider it the season-long race like I think the way it's called. But you've got to figure out a way to strike a balance between it being a good TV product and it still being a season-long race.
"Right now, I don't know exactly how the ratings are or anything like that, but I know for a fact you can't really quite call it the season-long race when it comes down to one stroke play tournament on the same golf course each year."
When a reporter challenged Scheffler on whether he would prefer the PGA Tour to go back to a time when Vijay Singh just had to turn up at the Tour Championship to win the FedEx Cup in 2008, he replied: "That's not good, either."
Scheffler's views echo those of McIlroy, who admits the format for the Tour Championship is 'probably not' the fairest reflection to decide the FedEx Cup winner.
The Northern Irishman does considers though the current system is much better for entertainment purposes rather than already having the FedEx Cup decided before all the top 30 players get to East Lake.
