Scottie Scheffler showed signs of frustration at the US Open on Friday after throwing his putter on a missed shot, with the world No. 1 still struggling on the green just a month after his arrest at the PGA Championship.
The 27-year-old Scheffler, who became a father for the first time last month, stunned the crowd at Pinehurst No. 2 in North Carolina with his big miss on the 15th green, as gasps were heard all around in footage of the match. moment shared on X.
To make matters worse, Scheffler is above par in the opening round of a major for the first time in two years, as he is currently ranked 59th with 19 others, including England’s Matt Fitzpatrick and Tommy Fleetwood, ahead of the weekend.
Scheffler, who is coming off his fifth victory of the year at the Memorial, was arrested in the early hours of May 17 near Valhalla Golf Club – the venue for this year’s edition of the PGA Championship.
The New Jersey resident was charged with second-degree assault on a police officer, a class C misdemeanor, and three misdemeanors: third-degree criminal mischief, reckless driving and disregarding traffic.
Scottie Scheffler has struggled to keep his cool on the green since his arrest during the PGA Championship last month
Scheffler was released on his own recognizance later the same morning. The charges against the two-time Masters winner were dropped twelve days later, on May 29.
Both Scheffler and the Louisville Metro Police Department agreed not to pursue legal action in connection with his arrest.
Prosecutor Mike O’Connell stated that Scheffler’s characterization of the incident as a “major misunderstanding” is borne out by evidence.
Scheffler was stopped ahead of the second round of the PGA Championship after attempting to enter the course in heavy traffic caused by an unrelated accident that left a male pedestrian dead.
Before the Memorial Tournament, Scheffler admitted that he had not completely put his arrest behind him.
Scheffler was arrested in May after failing to follow instructions from a police officer in Kentucky
Charges dropped against the two-time Masters winner (seen on May 17 after his arrest)
“I would say I still wouldn’t be 100 percent over it,” he said on June 4. ‘Because now it’s almost more appropriate for people to ask me about the situation and, to be honest, it’s not something I’d like to relive, just because it was quite traumatic for me when I was arrested while going onto the golf course.
“It’s not something I like to talk about and it’s something I hope to move past, but if the charges are dropped, that’s just the start of moving past it, if that makes sense.
“It was definitely a bit of a relief, but not a total relief because that’s something that, I think, will always stay with me.
“I’m sure that mugshot isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.”
Scheffler has posted three consecutive top 10 finishes at the U.S. Open, including a third-place finish a year ago at Los Angeles Country Club.
Pinehurst No. 2 is hosting the event for the fourth time and the first since 2014, when Martin Kaymer was the winner at 9 under, eight shots better than Rickie Fowler and Erik Compton.
