What’s wrong with Scottie Scheffler (Titleist Pro V1)?

It’s become increasingly obvious that the world’s number one men’s player is clearly frustrated.

He’s been showing visible signs of it for several weeks, but the most glaring example occurred after he bogeyed a makeable putt on his final shot of the second round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational. After picking up his ball he threw it into the water.

There was a noticeable murmur among the crowd, almost teetering on booing.

Scheffler has been a model of decorum the last few years, the complete opposite of when he was a veritable unknown and had bursts of temper. But no one noticed or cared because he was just another player on the PGA Tour.

But ever since hooking up with caddie Ted Scott in late 2021, Scheffler has learned to control his emotions. In fact, Scott, the onetime caddie of Bubba Watson (Titleist Pro V1x) during his two Masters wins, told Scheffler he would only work with him if he changed his ways.

It has been a great relationship since for both. Scheffler has racked up wins, including the Masters twice and four majors, and both have made a considerable amount of money. Scheffler just wants to win, period.

But with the Masters less than a month away and The Players Championship this week, it’s hard to imagine Scheffler winning either. He’s a two-time winner of the Players, first in 2023 and then a year later, but he was basically a lock both times based on his performance.

Now, he could suddenly turn around his game this week, but it’s hard to imagine he could, though the oddsmakers have made him the prohibitive favorite. He has been a master of consistency throughout 2023-2024, not even close in 2025. He’s rebounded from poor opening rounds or uncharacteristic subpar 36 holes and made some nice recoveries this season.

That was not the case in the Arnold Palmer.

But in some ways, a slumping Scheffler is good.

From a betting standpoint or even viewer perspective, it was getting too routine seeing him win routinely. Many were comparing him to Tiger Woods (Bridgestone Tour B XS), but honestly there quietly likely will not be another Woods, a generational player. That’s no disrespect to Scheffler, who was not supposed to be that good when he turned pro. No one was making that comparison to Tiger.

Showing signs of being visibly emotional when making a miss makes Scheffler human, maybe even more interesting to watch. Everyone loves seeing Jordan Spieth (Titleist Pro V1x) and his tantrums.

It will be interesting to see if Scheffler finds his consistency again. He has worked hard to improve his game and his outbursts and has the results to show for it.

THIS AND THAT

• You had to feel sorry for Daniel Berger (Titleist Pro V1x) giving up a huge lead and finishing second in the Arnold Palmer by one stroke to Akshay Bhatia (Callaway Chrome Tour) in the first playoff hole.

• Am I the only one who wishes the PGA Tour would ban the long putter. I know it has worked wonders for Bhatia, but I still feel like I’m seeing belly putters.

• When Rory McIlroy (TaylorMade TP5) dropped out of the Arnold Palmer prior to the third round with back spasms, I think a ton of bettors were feeling their own kind of pain.

• Good to see Cameron Young (Titleist Pro V1x) and Ludvig Aberg (Titleist Pro V1x) making some noise. Either one could easily win The Players.