02/05/26 03:14:00
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02/05 15:12 CST Pair of flubbed chips leave Scottie Scheffler in danger of
missing the cut at Phoenix Open
Pair of flubbed chips leave Scottie Scheffler in danger of missing the cut at
Phoenix Open
By JOHN MARSHALL
AP Sports Writer
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) --- Scottie Scheffler stubbed a chip shot on the par-4
18th and showed a rare bit of anger, repeatedly tapping the shaft of his wedge
against his legs as the ball rolled back to his feet.
When he did it again on No. 8, the world's No. 1 player threw his hand up in
disbelief before muttering to himself as he walked off with another bogey.
Scheffler got off to a shaky start in his bid to win a third straight PGA Tour
start, shooting a 2-over 73 in the first round of the Phoenix Open on Thursday.
The frustrating round left Scheffler 10 shots off Chris Gotterup's early lead
and put him in danger of missing a cut for the first time in more than three
years.
Scheffler closed out his 2025 season with a win in Napa, California, and opened
this season by winning the The American Express in Palm Desert, California, for
his 20th PGA Tour victory. He had 33 straight rounds under par.
Scheffler arrived at the Phoenix Open as the favorite to win for the third time
at TPC Scottdale's Stadium course, with his consecutive wins from 2022-23.
His bid didn't go as planned, even in ideal scoring conditions.
Scheffler got off to a great start, hitting it inside three feet for a birdie
on the par-4 10th. He immediately bogeyed the next hole when he couldn't get up
and down, then sandwiched two birdies around a bogey at the long par-4 14th.
Scheffler added another birdie on 17 before things started to unravel.
The double chip on No. 18 led to a bogey, a three-putt on No. 1 added another
and a double bogey came on No. 2 when chopped it around the 449-yard hole.
Scheffler pushed his drive into the right fairway bunker on the par-4, could
only advance the ball 54 yards into the left rough and gouged his third shot
short of the green. He was unable to get up and down, leading to a double bogey
that pushed him to 2 over.
A birdie on No. 3 and the flubbed-chip bogey at No. 8 closed out a 3-over 38 on
his second nine, putting Scheffler in need of a low round on Friday to avoid
missing his first cut since the 2022 FedEx St. Jude Championship.
Scheffler headed to the range right after his round, hoping to find something
that would help him continue the PGA Tour's longest-active streak of cuts made
at 65.
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AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf
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