WATCH: Scottie Scheffler’s failed ladies tee that decided his Open Championship fate
Scottie Scheffler had a bizarre end to the Open Championship on Sunday, July 21. He carded a 1-over 72 in the final round, but the last tee shot was not how he wanted to finish the tournament.
Scheffler entered the Open Championship as the tournament favorite but finished the week at T7, eight strokes back. He aggregated at 1-under after 72 holes. His final round of 72 included four birdies, one bogey, and two double bogeys. One of the double bogeys came on the 72nd hole, where he mishit his tee shot.
Heading to the par-4 18th at Royal Troon, Scheffler was sitting at 3-under for the tournament with just one hole remaining. Although he was already out of the race, things worsened when his tee shot failed to clear even the women's tee, landing in the rough about 150 yards away.
A look at Scottie Scheffler's performance at the Open Championship
With six wins in the first half of the year, Scottie Scheffler entered the Open Championship as the clear favorite. This was his first event since winning the Travelers Championship last month. However, things did not go as planned for him.
Scheffler carded back-to-back 70s in the first two rounds and was five strokes behind 36-hole leader Shane Lowry. With a 71 on Saturday, July 20, he closed the gap and was just two strokes behind leader Billy Horschel.
The World No. 1 golfer had a strong start to the final round of the Open Championship, picking up three birdies on the front nine and reaching 4-under after 62 holes. However, a double bogey on the par-4 ninth hole derailed his momentum, and he struggled on the back nine.
Although Scottie Scheffler made a birdie on the 16th, it was not enough to close the gap. A double bogey on the final hole meant he had to settle for a T7 finish. Sungjae Im and Jon Rahm were the other players who tied with him at 1-under.
In the Open Championship, Xander Schauffele rallied from behind to win his second major title. He fired a low 6-under 65 to finish at 9-under, beating Justin Rose and Billy Horschel by two strokes. Rose carded a 4-under 67 on Sunday, while Horschel lost the lead after carding a 68 in the final round.
This was Schauffele's second win in his past three starts at the major championships. Interestingly, he was winless for nearly two years before winning the PGA Championship in May.