On Saturday at the U.S. Open, Scottie Scheffler proved he doesn’t even need his putter to do the incredible on a golf course.
Just as he was losing steam, falling seven behind leader Rickie Fowler in the third round, Scheffler stood over his approach at the 17th.
The 515-yard par-4 has played as the hardest hole at Los Angeles Country Club all week at nearly a half-stroke over par, and Scheffler had made bogey there on Friday.
But none of that meant anything to the World No. 1.
From 196 yards, Scheffler’s approach drew into the front left corner of the green, kicked back onto the putting surface and released right into the bottom of the cup for a deuce.
While LACC has been a little quieter Saturday evening with the late finish of the third round, the two grandstands behind the 17th green still went wild. Scheffler’s caddie Ted Scott clearly wasn’t prepared for the eagle as the two shared a bit of an awkward chest bump/high-five celebration as Scheffler headed up to retrieve the ball.
But you know what they say: There are no celebrations on the scorecard.
He also more than made up for it when he matched playing partner Cameron Smith’s birdie on the 18th hole a few minutes later. The birdies were just the third and fourth on the par-4 finisher all day.
The final three-hole loop at LACC — all 500-ish-yard par-4s — are the longest three-hole finishing stretch in U.S. Open history, despite being the only trio in the top 4 sans a par-5. While he made a bogey on the 558-yard 16th, Scheffler played the remaining 1,006 yards in just five strokes. Here’s a recap:
- 17, 515 yards, par 4: Tee shot hit 320 yards to the fairway, 196 yards to the hole; Second shot hit 196 yards in the hole.
- 18, 491 yards, par 4: Tee shot hit 312 yards to the fairway, 186 yards to the hole; Second shot hit 188 yards, 22’3″ from the hole; Putt hit 22’3″ in the hole.
So much for Scheffler’s balky putter.
The three-under finish over his last two holes propelled Scheffler from a potential Sunday afterthought to seven under and a spot in the penultimate pairing in the final round.
