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04/18 17:36 CDT Scheffler wiped out from Masters and opens with a 69 at Hilton
Head. He trails Poston by 6 shots
Scheffler wiped out from Masters and opens with a 69 at Hilton Head. He trails
Poston by 6 shots
By DOUG FERGUSON
AP Golf Writer
HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. (AP) --- Scottie Scheffler is running on fumes after
an exhausting Masters victory just four days ago. He hit a shank from a bunker.
He nearly lost his mind from mud on his golf ball. And he still managed a
2-under 69 at the RBC Heritage on Thursday.
J.T. Poston set the pace on an idyllic day on Hilton Head Island with nine
birdies --- six of them in a seven-hole stretch --- for a 63 that gave him a
two-shot lead over Collin Morikawa and Seamus Power.
Ludvig Aberg, the runner-up at Augusta, was in the group another shot behind.
Rory McIlroy birdied his last two holes to salvage a scrappy day with the irons
for a 67.
Thousands of fans lined the fairways of Harbour Town to see Scheffler, the
Masters champion who is going for his fourth win in his last five tournaments.
There were times Scheffler didn't look like the No. 1 player in the world, and
he figured that would be the case with very little time to prepare.
"That's why I tried to give myself an extra little bit of grace on the course
today, just because yeah, emotionally a little drained. Mentally, definitely a
bit drained," he said.
"I feel like I have more energy now than I did at the beginning of the day,
waking up to go play golf," he said. "I think getting into the tournament,
hitting some shots, getting a bit frustrated, getting a bit excited about my
finish there, all good emotions to feel. It's nice to be kind of back into
tournament mode."
All but 16 players in the 69-man field were at the Masters, at least for part
of the week. Poston closed with a 70 at Augusta National and arrived at Hilton
Head Island with a little excitement away from golf. This is the first time
traveling with his month-old daughter, Katherine Scott.
They're calling her Scottie, a family name from both sides of the family.
"Good time to be called Scottie," Poston said with a smile.
Poston chipped in from 65 feet on the par-3 fourth hole to begin a remarkable
run --- three straight birdies from the 10-foot range followed, and then a
15-foot birdie putt on the short par-4 ninth and another birdie from 10 feet to
start the back nine.
For Morikawa, it was more validation he's on the right track. The two-time
major winner was among those who had a share of the lead Sunday at the Masters
until he took a pair of double bogeys around the turn. He wound up in a tie for
third.
"A lot of swing thoughts I've kind of been flipping the book through worked for
one day or two days and then it's gone," Morikawa said. "But look, it lasted
all the way through the Masters. It's lasted through here. What I'm doing, it's
working. I've just got to stick to that and understand why it's working and
just go out there and play golf."
Scheffler and Jordan Spieth were in the group behind Poston getting all the
attention --- Scheffler as the dominant player in golf, Spieth because his
entertainment level is high. The fans probably weren't expecting a shank, and
neither was Scheffler.
It happened on the third hole. He was in a bunker right of the green and hit it
off the hosel of the club at a 45-degree angle away from the pin, over the
green. He chipped to 6 feet and missed the putt, making double bogey.
"I shank it a decent amount, but never in competition," Scheffler said. "I
tried to give myself a little bit of grace there. It clearly was just a mental
lapse and I wasn't quite into it yet. I had a much better back nine."
That had its moments, too, all on one hole. The 11th gives him fits off the
tee, and he finally drilled one, only to see a clump of mud on his ball. His
approached headed left and kept going as Scheffler shouted, "MUD BALL!" And the
frustration was evident.
He talked to himself harshly down the fairway, especially seeing the ball carom
off a slope into the bunker, leaving him an impossible shot. Scheffler did well
to blast out to the fringe, and then he holed the putt for par.
"I was obviously frustrated with that type of break, and then to get up there
and knock the putt in was a nice feeling," he said. "Used it as some good
momentum for the closing stretch."
He hit wedge to 4 feet for birdie on the 16th, made a 15-foot birdie putt on
the par-3 17th and ended the day with another round below par. Scheffler now
has 37 consecutive rounds at par or better dating to the Tour Championship last
August.
Justin Thomas missed the cut at the Masters in horrific fashion by playing the
final four holes in 7 over to miss by one. He had only one glitch Thursday ---
a double bogey when he chipped into the bunker on the par-3 14th --- that
spoiled an otherwise decent round of 69.
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AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf
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