The craziest and most fun golf tournament started today with the Waste Management Phoenix Open getting things underway on the PGA Tour. The tournament is known for its rowdy crowds and the quality golf on the course. However, the story of the first day was world No.1 Scottie Scheffler struggling out of the gate and finishing over par for the first time since last June, following a dominant 2025 season.
In the first round of the 2026 Waste Management Phoenix Open, the biggest story was the struggles of Scottie Scheffler. The best golfer in the world looked human, highlighted by a duffed putt on the 18th hole. Scheffler knew he made poor contact instantly. And that his golf ball was about to come back to his feet. A rare blunder from the four-time major champ.
The most dominant golfer the sport has seen since Tiger Woods finished with a bogey on Hole 18. He followed the hole up with a bogey and double bogey on the next two holes, before getting a birdie on No. 3 to get back in the groove of things.
It was Scheffler's worst-played round of golf since last June. It is a stunning result, but a reminder that everyone, especially in golf, is human.
It is worth noting that Scheffler began his 2026 season with a red-hot start, winning The American Express Open in California with a -27 final score. It felt like Scheffler was picking up right where he left off in 2026 after just how dominant he was in 2025.
Scheffler won two different majors last year, highlighted by a dominant win in the PGA Championship in May, and then he closed out the major season with a big win in The Open Championship at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland.
Still, Scottie Scheffler is in rarified air after getting his 20th PGA Tour win to open 2026, which puts him in the company of Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods. There is plenty of time for Scheffler to right the ship and turn things around in Phoenix, but the rough start was eye-opening for any golf fan.
