The opening day of the Phoenix Open didn't pan out well for Scottie Scheffler. Altogether, he missed a putt and came away with three bogeys.
In the process, Scheffler achieved a feat that he hadn't since 2021, per Justin Ray of Twenty First Group. Thanks to Chris Gotterup shooting 8 under par, Scheffler finished at +2. Also, he is currently tied for 97th in the standings.
As a result, he lost by 10+ strokes for the first time since the 2021 Valero Texas Open.
During that tournament, Scheffler finished at E and tied for 54th in the standings, while Jordan Spieth went on to win at -18.
At that time, he shot 78 compared to Rickie Fowler, who shot 68 during the second round.
Scheffler has been on a high in the early part of this new year. At the American Express tournament, Scheffler captured his 20th PGA Tour title, joining the likes of Jack Nickolas and Tiger Woods.
He is currently the No. 1-ranked player. Altogether, Scheffler has 25 professional wins under his belt. He has won The Masters twice (2022, 2024). Last year, he won both the PGA Championship and the Open Championship.
At the Phoenix Open, Scheffler has won twice. His first came in 2022 when he finished -16 and beat out Patrick Cantlay in a playoff. In 2023, Scheffler won his second title in the desert by edging out Nick Taylor of Canada by two strokes at -19.
In 2024, Scheffler won an Olympic gold medal in Paris.
The Phoenix Open goes from Feb. 5 to Feb. 8 at the TPC Scottsdale Stadium Course.
