Collin Morikawa ‘surprised’ by Scottie Scheffler’s shank at the Tour Championship, reflects on the aftermath
Collin Morikawa was surprised when Scottie Scheffler hit a shank during the final round of the 2024 Tour Championship. In the finale of the PGA Tour event on Sunday, 1 September, at East Lake Golf Club, the World No. 1 encountered trouble on the eighth hole.
Scheffler shanked his second shot and later made a bogey on the hole. He had a strong start to the event, with two birdies in the first six holes of the fourth round. However, he also made a bogey on the seventh hole before facing difficulties on the par-4 eighth. Despite these setbacks, the 28-year-old improved on the back nine and ultimately won the FedEx Cup event.
Following the tournament, Collin Morikawa was asked about Scheffler's unexpected shank on the eighth hole. As per Asapsports, the 27-year-old golfer expressed his surprise, saying:
"Yeah, honestly, very surprising. Yeah, I knew I had to make the putt because I had a weird feeling he was going to make par, and I think he lipped out his par putt, even after the bad chip.
"Look, I made the putt and he was two back, but like I said, he's not going to just start making bogeys after that. He's going to do the opposite and he's going to start hitting golf shots. It almost brought his focus back in for a half second, and that's something you can't teach. You just either have it or you don't," he added.
Scheffler won the Tour Championship with a four-stroke victory over Morikawa. Meanwhile, Sahith Theegala finished in third place, while Xander Schauffele, Russell Henley, and Adam Scott tied for fourth.
"Just nothing fazes him"- Collin Morikawa on what impressed him most about Scheffler’s Tour Championship performance
In the same press conference, Collin Morikawa was asked what impressed him the most about Scottie Scheffler's game at the Tour Championship. The former PGA Championship winner admitted that Scheffler's "mental game is a lot stronger" and remarked that it's "amazing" what Scheffler has accomplished throughout this season.
Morikawa said:
"Just nothing fazes him. Whether I was close in gaining some ground or he was gaining ground, it didn't change how he walked or how he played or how he went through every shot. That's something to learn. I think his mental game is a lot stronger than a lot of people know."
"It's amazing what he's been able to do for this entire season, and honestly kind of over this past, what is it, three years now. It's been really cool to watch him, and hopefully I can draw something from that," he added.
Notably, Scheffler has won seven PGA Tour events in 2024. Additionally, he secured a gold medal at the Paris Olympics. He has now become the first golfer since Tiger Woods in 2007 to achieve seven victories on the PGA Tour in a single season.