Scottie Scheffler arrived at Royal Birkdale looking to shake off a rough week, coming off his first missed cut in nearly four years at last week’s Genesis Scottish Open. With his opening round, he did just that, racing to four birdies in his first six holes and turning in a 31 to sit three under for the front nine. The round had all the makings of a statement. Then the 17th hole happened, and Scheffler finished at 68, two under.

“I was just shocked at how deep the ball was in that grass. It looked like a lot of good spots around there, and then all of a sudden you get to one area where my ball is. I considered actually taking an unplayable. I didn’t think I was going to be able to get the ball out of the grass that it was sitting in, but was able to get it out.

“Just didn’t get it up-and-down. Just one of those deals; sometimes you hit it over there, and you get a clean lie, and you’re able to give yourself a look, and then other times like today, you pay a pretty severe price. But I guess don’t hit it offline,” Scheffler said.

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Scheffler suspected the lie wasn’t natural, telling reporters he thought the ball may have been stepped on. “Nobody would fess up,” he said. Unable to confirm it, he played the ball as it lay rather than take an unplayable-lie penalty. His approach on the par-5 veered right into the thick native grass; his third shot skipped low across the fairway, and two putts later he carded a bogey. The 17th, ironically, played as the easiest hole in the field on Thursday.

Outside of that hole, the round turned out pretty okay for him. Scheffler hit 13 of 14 fairways, the best mark of anyone in the field, and his only other blemish came at the par-3 seventh, where he dropped a shot after failing to convert from the fringe. Had the 17th gone differently, it would have left Scheffler one stroke better at 67.

Scheffler’s 68 leaves him two shots back of co-leaders Sungjae Im and Dan Brown, who are tied at 4-under, with Scheffler sitting inside the top 10 after the morning wave. That said, Scheffler is well aware of his advantages, pointing to ball striking as a takeaway from the day and calling it the foundation he needs in the future. Earlier this week, Scheffler was clear he’s ready to fight strongly to defend his Claret Jug. Whether he can build on from here remains one of the most compelling questions heading into Friday.