The strangest week of Scottie Scheffler’s career culminated with a day that provoked thoughts about what could have been.
While nothing in his placid existence can compare to watching him being led away in handcuffs, it was no less surreal to see him climb so close to the top of the standings here on Sunday night.
When he concluded his final round at the US PGA Championship, posting a brilliant 65 for a total of 13 under par, he was in the top 10.
That score was never going to be enough to catch up with the favorites, but it was enough to reflect on the damage caused by Saturday’s third-round 73, when he returned his first card over par in 266 days.
Such an incident was entirely understandable, of course, and largely a delayed reaction to his arrest, but to see him in full flight on the final lap was a reminder of how close he was to achieving his second jailbreak in the space of a couple of years. minutes. three days.
Scottie Scheffler played brilliantly in his final round on Sunday, but came up short in Valhalla.
Scheffler posted a brilliant 65 for a total of 13 under par, leaving him in the top 10 when he finished.
Seeing him in full flight on Sunday was a reminder of how close he came to a second jailbreak.
In light of that saga, Scheffler can reflect on the kind of recovery that would be beyond almost anyone else in the game. His next mission will be to free himself from those four police charges that will forever link the green jackets of a two-time Masters champion with the orange prison robe of an indomitable motorist.
According to rumors from Valhalla Golf Club, the suspicion is that the matter will be dropped before Tuesday’s arraignment, where those charges will be heard.
Presumably the same talk has reached him because the Scheffler on Sunday was much more familiar than the one we saw attacking all the edges of the field on Saturday.
That said, the initial signs were that his struggles would be prolonged, as he missed a pair of six-foot putts on his first two holes for the loss of a stroke, dragging him back to six under par.
However, he steadied himself with a nine-foot birdie putt at the fifth and a nine-iron from 169 yards to two feet on the par-three eighth moved him in the right direction. Four more shots followed in the first six holes after the turn and at 12 under par it was necessary to reflect on where I could have been even with a moderate round on Saturday, when the conditions were so conducive to exploiting. A 20-foot birdie on the 16th hole only increased that suspicion, before closing with two pars and a smile.
As I walked from the 18th green, there was a sight that has become normal in these strange weeks: two spectators wearing T-shirts with their mugshot.
Europe captain Luke Donald says he has “no real concerns” about Jon Rahm’s form at LIV Golf
Meanwhile, Luke Donald says he has “no real concerns” about his Ryder Cup boss Jon Rahm. While it would be extremely premature for Europe’s captain to be sweating his form 16 months before the match in New York, Rahm has had a noticeably slow start to his life as a LIV golfer.
The Spaniard only tied for 45th in his Masters title defense last month and was substantially worse in missing the cut here. In the wake of his lucrative defection to the rebel circuit, it has often been suggested that he suffers from buyer’s remorse and the question is whether the problem will develop into a pattern.
Donald said: “I haven’t really spoken to Jon about it, but I guess it’s taking him some time to adjust to a new tour with different criteria for success.” It’s all a bit new for him.
‘Jon’s record speaks for itself and what he has done. His results on LIV certainly haven’t been terrible, lots of top 10s. I know he hasn’t won, but I’m not too worried at the moment. “For me form is more important before a Ryder Cup, not 15 or 16 months from now.”
He added: “I guess if I was in your situation it would just be a change, a bit like I was doing something new for the first time.” Golfers are very much creatures of habit and when you get out of your usual routine, when you’re used to four rounds and then you go to three, the mentality is a little bit different.’
One of Donald’s stars in the victory in Rome, Tommy Fleetwood, only came into the weekend with an eagle on the final Friday, but made a credible finish with a closing 65.
“It’s a crazy game,” he said. ‘I probably shouldn’t even have been here on Saturday. Overall, it will end up being a solid week on paper.”