Breaking news: Scottie Scheffler is, in fact, human. The World No. 1 struggled mightily in the first round of the WM Phoenix Open at TPC Scottsdale, making five bogeys and a double bogey en route to a 2-over 73. He currently sits in a tie for 80th place, which is a shocking sentence to write about the best player in the world.
The 73 marks the first time Scheffler shot over par in a round since the third round of the Travelers Championship in June. Before Thursday, the 29-year-old went seven months and 33 straight professional rounds without shooting worse than even par.
Let this serve as a reminder that golf is hard, even for the best player since Tiger Woods.
Scottie Scheffler Struggles at the WM Phoenix Open
What a bizarre first round it was at TPC Scottsdale for Scheffler. The Texan kicked off the tournament with an easy birdie on the par-4 10th hole, but he pulled his drive in the water on the par-4 11th, leading to his first bogey of the day. He made three birdies and two bogeys down the stretch of his front 9, capped off by a flubbed chip and a near-club slam on the par-4 18th.
Brewing underneath the surface is a dude who hates hitting bad shots more than a typical person hates anything.
You know he wanted to break that club.
After making the turn, Scheffler made a three-putt bogey on the par-4 first hole and followed it up with a double bogey on the second. He birdied the par-5 third hole to get back on track, then parred four straight before another botched chip led to another bogey on the par-4 eighth.
Scheffler finished the round with five birdies, five bogeys and a double bogey. The stellar iron player, who’s gained strokes on approach in 24 straight starts, lost 0.722 strokes on approach in the first round. Add it all up, and you get a 2-over 73—his worst round in a long, long time.
Through one round, Scheffler is already 10 strokes back of leader Chris Gotterup, who shot an 8-under 63 in the same group. He’ll need a sparkling round on Friday to even make the cut at the WM Phoenix Open.
Putting Scheffler’s 2-over 73 in Perspective
GettyScottie Scheffler could miss the cut after his abysmal first round at the WM Phoenix Open.
Scheffler has been so dominant over the last few years that it’s almost jarring when he doesn’t go low. The World No. 1 shot even-par or better in 33 straight rounds entering the WM Phoenix Open. Incredibly, 32 of those rounds were in the 60s, and 22 were lower than 68.
Over his last 38 professional starts, Scheffler has won 16 times and finished outside the top 20 only three times. His worst finish in that span was a T41 at the 2025 U.S. Open, which is always the toughest test of golf on the PGA Tour schedule.
This was Scheffler’s worst score in 23 career rounds at TPC Scottsdale. In the previous 22, he shot in the 60s 17 times and won the tournament twice.
This isn’t the Scheffler we’ve grown accustomed to, but it also proves his run of dominance was unsustainable. Fans expect the four-time major champion to win every time he tees it up, but that’s not realistic on the PGA Tour.
Scottie Scheffler’s Epic Streak of Under-Par Rounds Is Over