Scottie Scheffler never ceases to amaze people.
On a windy day that made PGA Tour players look foolish, Scheffler made things easy, parading around Muirfield Village with four birdies and a stunning eagle on the par-5 15th hole to finish with a 4-under 68 at the Memorial Tournament.
“This golf course can be really challenging, especially when it’s windy, with all the trees in the way and the wind gusts, sometimes coming from unexpected directions,” Scheffler explained.
“That’s another challenge of playing this golf course, but we felt like we played well today and put ourselves in the right position.”
Perhaps no one has done better than what Scheffler did this week in the No. 15.
He hit a powerful driver down the middle of the fairway and then a 3-iron into about nine feet from 238 yards. Scheffler then rolled the ball for eagle to get back to 8 under and reclaim a two-stroke lead he had lost with bogeys on the 11th and 13th holes.
“I had a good hold on the 3-iron. I felt like I had a good number and when you get a number that you want to make a cut, it’s nice to have the pin on the right side. That was one of those moments,” Scheffler said. Approaching 15.
“So I hit a really good shot pretty close to the pin and was able to make the putt.”
Scheffler began the day at five under par, one stroke behind Adam Hadwin, but Hadwin shot an even-par 72 in the morning, giving Scheffler a chance to take full control of the tournament. In fact, Hadwin got as far as eight under par before a double bogey on the 17th hole dropped him to six under.
Despite his sloppy play between the 10th and 13th holes, Scheffler didn’t make any bigger mistakes than this, sinking a 16-foot shot on the 10th hole for an incredible par save, then on the par-5 11th, Scheffler hit his third shot into the front bunker and missed an up-and-down attempt.
Two holes later, Scheffler found himself in a terrible lie just off the fairway and bogeyed his second in three holes, but after that he effortlessly showed everyone why he’s the best 15-year-old player in the world.
He then closed out the round with a beautiful birdie on the 18th hole, despite hitting his driver into a right fairway bunker, his second consecutive day with a birdie on the final hole.
But Scheffler refused to describe the game as “easy.”
“Easy is never the right word. I think what I love about the game is how difficult it is. I love coming out here and competing against the best players in the world on the best golf course, and this is obviously a pretty difficult course,” Scheffler explained.
“I just love competing out here. I don’t really think about whether it’s easy or hard. Some days I play well, some days I don’t, but other than that I’m just trying to compete.”
Scheffler is looking for his fifth win of the season, including a win at Augusta National, and he certainly loves competing against other tour pros, but do his peers love competing against him?
Probably not.
Jack Mirko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation Playing Through. Follow For more golf articles, follow us on Twitter Jack Mirko In the same way.
