Scottie Scheffler never panicked; overcomes bad lie to vault back into Olympics mix

Scottie Scheffler never panicked, even though he had every reason to do so midway through his second round at Le Golf National.

The top-ranked player in the world uncharacteristically rifled his drive way right of the 7th fairway as it came to rest in some whispy, gnarly hay. The tall, thick grass completely blanketed his ball, leaving Scheffler no choice but to hack it out. But the lie was so bad that the big-swinging Texan only hit it four feet in front of him, a shocking sight that the golfing world rarely sees. His second landed in more tall grass, leading to a rather difficult situation.

“I took a sand wedge out of there and swung really hard. I thought it would come out, and I was surprised,” Scheffler said of his second on the 7th hole.

“The next one, I hit about 70 yards from the thick stuff. I practiced in it and knew where I hit it was a pretty bad spot with how low it was, and that’s where the water collects. So you know it’s going to be thick down there. I knew not to hit it there, and I did anyways.”

Scheffler found some of the healthiest hay on the golf course and paid a steep price. He made a double-bogey on the par-4 7th hole, dropping back to 2-under for the championship and 10 shots off the lead.

But he did not panic.

Photo by Emmanuel Dunand/AFP via Getty Images

He stayed patient instead.

“Around a golf course like this where the scores are going to continue to get lower, it could be tough to catch up,” Scheffler said.

“I know if I stay patient around this golf course and play well, I can shoot a low score. It’s just a matter of if I start freaking out and start forcing things, you’re going to get in trouble really fast.”

Scheffler calmed the storm after making the turn, making four birdies on the back nine to vault back into the mix at 6-under. He is still five shots back of Xander Schauffele, Tommy Fleetwood, and Hideki Matsuyama, but he did an admirable job of splitting the deficit he faced in half.

“I needed to do something to get back in the tournament, and I did a good job,” Scheffler said.

“I think that’s the internal battle you have of staying patient.”

He made two quick birdies at the par-4 10th and par-3 11th holes, the latter of which was a 26-foot make. His two other par-breakers were at the par-5 14th and par-4 17th.

“I would like to be leading. But like I said, I’m proud of the back nine,” Scheffler added.

“Got myself back into it. I was pretty far back, so it was nice to string some good holes together and hole some putts. Definitely ride that momentum the next couple of days.”

In order to keep that momentum, Scheffler will have to maintain his focus and remain in the present—something he has done so well throughout the 2024 season, a season that has seen him win six times on the PGA Tour. But the reigning Masters champion admitted that he lost a little intensity at times, specifically on the 7th hole, where his round briefly turned for the worst.

“That shot I hit off seven, I think I was just a bit distracted by some stuff and could have focused a bit better,” Scheffler said.

“It was an uncharacteristic swing for me. After that, you hit it in the hay, you don’t know what’s going to happen. I knew if I hit it down there, I was going to be pretty screwed.”

No doubt that Scheffler found himself in a precarious situation on the 7th, but unlike most golfers, the World No. 1 bounced back admirably, shifting his focus back on himself and his game. Now he has an outside shot at a medal, but at least he has a shot, something that did not seem possible after he walked off the 7th green.

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.