Scottie Scheffler entered Muirfield Village as the two-time defending champion; however, his opening two rounds did not reflect the form of a player defending his title. On Thursday, he shot a one-over 73 and finished the day tied for 33rd, well behind the leaders. On Friday, Scheffler continued to struggle, and for most of the second round, he was close to missing the cut. Then came the shot that made it to social media and lit up the comments section.

On the par-5 fifth hole in the second round, Scheffler’s second shot found the greenside bunker. The World No. 1 aimed toward the pin from the sandtrap but ended up shanking it into the thick rough on the right. Scheffler was visibly disappointed but kept his composure. He turned back and tapped his club on the rough to shake off the sand. Up to that point, every weekend golfer could relate to his misery, but then Scheffler showed why he is a four-time major winner.

The cut line was hovering at 4-over, and he was already close to missing it. Still, he managed to save par. From the rough, he hit a perfect chip that softly landed on the green and rolled to seven feet from the pin. Scheffler calmly holed the putt to save par. The PGA Tour shared the clip with a caption that summed it up: “Shanks rarely end in a par. Scottie Scheffler knows the most important shot is the next one.”

After the round, Scheffler spoke to the media and briefly touched upon his fifth-hole fiasco, calling it a “good up-and-down.” The day, however, was anything but smooth for Scheffler, who admitted he felt like he was going to shoot 90.

Scheffler made three consecutive bogeys between the 8th and 10th. However, he bounced back with three birdies to finish the day at even-par. As of publishing, he is standing at T21. But this is not the first time Scheffler hit a shank.

Back in 2024, the World No.1 shanked a bunker shot at the Tour Championship. The ball, at that time, traveled miles away from his target. At that time, he made a bogey and later joked about it during the post-round press conference. Quizzed on what happened on the eighth, Scheffler explained the mechanisms of how a shank happens.

Nevertheless, Scheffler is not the player from whom you expect to see a mishit. With 20 PGA Tour wins before turning 30, joining only Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods, and four Player of the Year awards, he arrived at Muirfield Village aiming for a third straight title. Reports confirm he has been seeking his second win of 2026, despite reduced practice time after the birth of his second child. The 2025 Pebble Beach ‘semi-shank,’ which he himself named, was meant to be a one-off, but it wasn’t.

The numbers paint a clear picture: Scheffler’s bounce-back rate in 2025 was 36.36%, the best on the PGA Tour. In 2026, it has dropped to 22.22%. However, he still leads the Tour in bogey avoidance (9.72%) and birdie or better percentage (28.54%).

He had only five back-to-back bogeys in the entire 2025 season. Reports tracking his bunker play in 2025 and 2026 noted that when a mishit drew attention, the recovery stood out. The par save on the fifth was another example. Yet the comments section was divided on what they saw, and they were vocal about it.

Scottie Scheffler’s bunker shank divides golf fans online

On the critical side, one fan questioned his mindset directly:

“Can you believe Ted Scott did that to him?”

Another fan, alluding to his lengthy first-round rant to his caddie, Ted Scott, scoffed: “Did he blame the shank on his caddy too?”

A third was blunt: “When the No. 1 in the world gives you hope, you can still make the tour.”

The harshest comment was simple: “Scottie is broken. We may have seen his best.”

Scheffler is still looking for his second win of 2026 and fighting to make the cut while defending his title. The criticism was about more than just one bunker shot. It reflected a bigger worry about whether Scheffler’s best form has faded.

Not everyone saw it that way. One fan paid attention to what happened after the mishit:

“Happy to see Scottie maintain his composure after a shot went wrong and regain that advantage after yesterday’s blow up.”

One comment found a middle ground between both sides:

“It’s comforting to know that even the number one golfer in the world can hit a shot that looks exactly like my average Saturday morning.”

While the shank got attention, the PGA Tour highlighted the par save. The difference between what fans noticed and what Scheffler did next sums up his 2026 season so far. He shot a 72 on Friday and made the cut. His chance for a three-peat at Muirfield Village is still alive, but just barely, and now includes a shank on the highlight reel.