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“I felt like I was going to shoot about 90 today,” Scottie Scheffler said on Friday at the Memorial Tournament, words he probably hasn’t spoken since he was maybe 10 years old.
It’s been a tough few days for the No. 1 player in the world at Muirfield Village Golf Club, where he came in as the two-time defending champion at Jack Nicklaus’ tournament but has shown only a glimpse of the form that earned him a pair of coveted Sunday handshakes with the host.
Fortunately, that glimpse arrived just in time.
Trolling the cutline at four over par, Scheffler birdied three of his last six holes for an even-par 72 and a one-over 145 total to ensure weekend tee times for a 77th consecutive PGA Tour event.
One day after microphones captured him ranting to caddie Ted Scott about the windy conditions that had him confused and frustrated after he found the water at the par-3 16th hole, Scheffler battled gamely, even birding the 16th by holing a 40-footer that felt like “stealing one.”
How did he turn it around? “I’m about to go find out,” he said. In other words, he didn’t quite know but he was heading to the practice range to figure something out while inside the top 25 but trailing clubhouse leader J.T. Poston by 10 shots.
Scheffler found himself fighting to make the cut when he suffered three straight bogeys starting at the par-3 eighth hole. He finally made his first birdie at the par-4 13th after a wedge to three feet and followed up with a 21-footer for another at No. 15 before the unexpected bonus at 16. His one-over 145 total is his highest opening 36 holes at the Memorial since he began with 149 in 2023 before surging to a third-place finish.
“I don’t know if you were out there on the course, but I was going to be hard to find if you were out watching my group,” said Scheffler, the four-time major winner, who was paired with PGA champion Aaron Rai. “I felt like I got my first birdie putt of the day on the 13th hole. I maybe had one on 11, but I couldn’t imagine I hit more than six or seven greens today. So around this golf course, with heavy rough and deep bunkers, you got to be hitting the ball in the right spots and for a long time today that was definitely not the case for me.”
Poor starts continue to dog Scheffler in 2026 after he began the year with his 20th tour title at The American Express in Palm Springs. On Friday at Muirfield Village, the Texan hit just seven fairways and eight greens in regulation. When he finished, he was losing more than two strokes to the field in strokes gained/approach the green over 36 holes, but he was saved by his short game and putting.
He remained undaunted in his belief that he was far from out of the tournament with 36 holes remaining.
“That’s maybe some of the worst I’ve hit it in a couple years out there, and I still managed to shoot even par around a golf course that requires to you strike the ball really well. Yeah, I’m definitely very proud of stuff like that,” Scheffler said, finding some solace. “This tournament was one that definitely could have got away from me, but right now I’m only nine shots back and still have a chance going into the weekend. With the conditions the way they are, you never really know what’s going to happen around this golf course and just getting inside the cut line you still have a chance.”
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Main Image: Ben Jared
