Tennis

The Scottie Scheffler’s incredible three-putt

March 31, 2024

The world number one, Scottie Scheffler, abruptly ended his fantastic streak of 28 consecutive under-par rounds on Friday by conceding a double bogey from less than a meter and a half away from the hole.

In golf, it’s often when you least expect it that the worst can happen. Two shots under par after 17 holes, Scottie Scheffler was poised to complete his second round of the Texas Children’s Houston Open with a 29th consecutive subpar score. On the 18th, barely more than a meter from the hole, no one imagined seeing the world number one make a mistake as he did.

Scottie Scheffler, statements

“I made a frustrating misjudgment,” Scheffler explained at the end of the day. “I felt like I had a good putt on the first one. Obviously, it was a bit frustrating to hit a good putt and see it not go in, but maybe I didn’t take enough time between the two putts. On the second one, I think I rushed a bit and missed it because I didn’t see any spike marks.”

Scottie Scheffler was born on June 21, 1996, in Ridgewood, New Jersey. His father, Scott, grew up in Englewood Cliffs, attending St. Cecilia High School in Englewood, while his mother, Diane, grew up in Park Ridge. Scheffler is the only boy among his four siblings, with sisters named Callie, Molly, and Sara. The family initially lived in Montvale, New Jersey, until Scheffler was six years old when they relocated to Dallas, Texas, following the September 11 attacks. While his father was a stay-at-home parent, his mother worked as the chief operating officer at the law firm Thompson & Knight.

Scheffler’s interest in golf began at the age of three when his parents gave him a set of plastic clubs and a ball. After moving to Dallas, he received instruction at the Royal Oaks Golf Club under Randy Smith, who previously coached Justin Leonard to a victory at The Open Championship in 1997. Scheffler achieved considerable success at the youth level, winning 75 times on the PGA junior circuit, competing against players like fellow Dallas-area native Will Zalatoris.

Despite entering high school at barely 5 feet tall, Scheffler experienced a significant growth spurt and soon measured over 6 feet tall. However, this rapid growth led to back injuries, particularly during his sophomore year. He attended Highland Park High School in University Park, Dallas, where he excelled in both golf and basketball. Scheffler won individual state titles for three consecutive years (2012 to 2014), matching a record set by Jordan Spieth. He also won the 2013 U.S. Junior Amateur and was the top-ranked junior golfer in the country in 2014. In May 2014, Scheffler made his PGA Tour debut as a 17-year-old amateur at the HP Byron Nelson Championship, where he made the cut and finished tied for 22nd place.

Following high school, Scheffler played collegiate golf at the University of Texas from 2014 to 2018, contributing to the team’s three Big 12 championships. He graduated in 2018 with a bachelor’s degree in finance and was part of the U.S. team that won the 2017 Walker Cup.

Scheffler qualified for his first U.S. Open in 2016 and made the cut, and the following year, he again qualified, finishing as the low amateur.