There were early signs that Scottie Scheffler might not arrive at Royal Birkdale in peak form. The defending champion’s missing the cut at the Scottish Open had some doubting him. Despite that, Scheffler was the favourite to win the Open Championship. But since Thursday, he hasn’t lived up to his potential, carding rounds of 68, 68, and 70. Then came a telling moment on Saturday evening. Golf[dot]com posted on X that he missed a birdie putt and sarcastically started celebrating. 

“Scottie Scheffler with the sarcastic fist pump after another missed birdie putt. 🤣.” 

The moment came in the third round after he missed a 6-foot birdie putt on the par-5 17th hole. After birdie-bogey swings on 5 and 16, he made par on 17 but remained frustrated. He was seen gesticulating to his caddie, Ted Scott, about how uneven the putting surfaces at Royal Birkdale were.

🤔 golf trivia

This Should Be an Easy One, Right?

01/10

How Many Shots Was Bryson DeChambeau Penalized in R2 of the Open?

2134

Oops, bogey!

But don’t worry, there’s still the back 9 to prove your high golf IQ

PLAY GOLF TRIVIA

Although his third round was his worst of the tournament, NBC analyst Brad Faxon had previously claimed that his pairing with Bryson DeChambeau and Tyrrell Hatton could have been part of the problem. Despite the grouping change after round 2, Scheffler’s performance worsened.

Ironically, DeChambeau, who is T6 at the time of writing, sits ahead of Scheffler, who is T11. This isn’t the first time the Ridgewood, New Jersey, native has sarcastically celebrated a mishap.

During the Players Championship in March, after an aggressive approach shot, he missed a par putt and made bogey. He then flashed a sarcastic fist pump as the ball slid past the hole. At last year’s Scottish Open, he also missed a birdie putt on the par-5 10th and punched his fist in the air sarcastically. 

He then shook his head and muttered to himself in frustration. This habit is clearly nothing new for the World No. 1, but fans didn’t find it amusing. Instead, they quickly started ripping him apart.

Fan suggests Scottie Scheffler needs a new caddie

One user was happy about Scheffler’s miss.

“He is bemoaning the ball bouncing around on the greens – and meanwhile hitting every makeable putt short or 6 inches past the hole. Maybe hit it a little harder like Tiger at Pebble???”  

Someone else suggested a change.

“Scottie’s start lines suck. He needs to find a caddie who can really read greens.”

Ted Scott has been working with Scheffler since November 2021. And the duo even won last year’s Open Championship, among others, together. 

Another felt Scheffler’s overall putting game was bad.

“His putting is so atrocious that he has reached the point that if he isn’t within 3 feet, he has a 0% chance of making it.”

During the Travelers Championship, he missed the putt in the playoff, leading to Viktor Hovland’s win. 

The next fan had a similar opinion.

“His putting is absolutely laughable, atrocious.”

According to Forbes, he missed 5 putts from inside 15 feet in Round 2, costing him strokes.

Meanwhile, this next user had just five words for the World No. 1: “Sums up his 2026 season.”

His last win came in January at The American Express, and he has secured nine top-5 finishes in 13 starts. 

Having said that, it appears Scheffler continues to struggle at the Open Championship to showcase his true form. But he remains in contention.