World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler had a rare emotional moment during the opening round of the Memorial Tournament on Thursday. The incident happened at Muirfield Village Golf Club in Ohio after a shot on the par-3 16th hole landed in the water. What followed quickly caught the attention of golf fans.
Scheffler appeared upset during a conversation with his longtime caddie, Ted Scott. The golfer believed they had misread the wind before the shot, leading to an unexpected result. The mistake came at a difficult time in the round, with Scheffler trying to keep pace near the top of the leaderboard. Instead, the penalty dropped him back and left him visibly frustrated as he walked toward the drop area.
Going into the 16th hole, Scheffler was even par for the day. Before hitting his tee shot, he and Ted Scott discussed the conditions, including the wind direction. However, the ball finished in the water left of the green. As Scott walked toward the drop zone, Scheffler showed his frustration and questioned what had happened.
According to comments heard during the broadcast, Scheffler said: “I never thought that was in the water. I don’t know what to do.” As Scott appeared to respond, Scheffler continued: “I can’t hear a word you’re saying, dude. Now I’m in the water because it came in out of the right.”
The two-time Masters champion felt he had made a good swing and believed the wind had been judged incorrectly. He added: “I absolutely flushed a seven iron and we get the wind wrong and I’m in the water. I don’t think you understand how frustrating that is. Like, that was a good shot. I flushed it.”
Scheffler’s frustration continued as he tried to make sense of the result. “I don’t understand what I’m meant to do. I don’t understand. I really don’t. There’s no way it could curve that much.” He then finished by saying: “It’s so frustrating when we get this stuff wrong. I hit a good shot and I’m dropping from hazards. We cannot get the wind wrong.”
Despite the tense moment, Scheffler and Scott have one of the most successful partnerships in professional golf. Scott has carried Scheffler’s bag since 2021. Together, they have won four major championships, an Olympic gold medal, and 19 PGA Tour events.
The rough start also made Scheffler’s bid for a third straight Memorial Tournament title more difficult. After the opening round, he found himself six shots behind the leaders. Wyndham Clark, J.J. Spaun, Tommy Fleetwood, and Ryan Gerard were tied for the lead at five-under-par 67. With several rounds still remaining, Scheffler has time to recover. Still, the exchange with Ted Scott became one of the biggest talking points from the tournament’s opening day.
