Scottie Scheffler’s Putting Struggles Need a Fix, the Quicker the Better

Scottie Scheffler is frustrated. In the second round of the Genesis Invitational, American International threw the ball into the bush after missing a putt. On the moving day, it got worse. Scheffler threw off his club in frustration. 

All because of his putting worries have come back to haunt him again. Not that he needed a moment of reckoning. The American International was working on his short game before the Ryder Cup, roping in Phil Kenyon. Results seemed to be showing when he teed up at the Hero World Challenge in December. 

But relief was rather short-lived as Scheffler’s situation worsened at the ongoing Genesis Invitational show. The six-time PGA Tour winner is in desperate need of a long-term solution. Either that or we are once again looking at the staggering dichotomy like last year, as these stats clearly evince.

How Scottie Scheffler compares to his peers

Rory McIlroy, World No. 2, gained 0.164 strokes on the field while putting. Viktor Hovland, World No. 4, gained 0.236. Scottie Scheffler was losing .301 strokes, on the other hand. Hovland, let’s not forget, was also in the same hole as Scheffler not too long ago. Working with the putting coach, he improved his performance. The Norwegian’s one-putt percentage was also much better than Scheffler’s (38.07%), at 42.11%.

To put into perspective how heavily Scheffler, unwillingly, leans on his ball-striking genius, compare his total strokes gained. The 27-year-old, despite losing strokes on putts, was the leader in total strokes gained. Scheffler gained almost 1.5x more strokes than Viktor Hovland. In fact, his SG: Total of 2.314 puts him way ahead of the pack. Only McIlroy gained more than two strokes (2.102) last season. 

Could a better putting average save Scheffler from needless controversy? 

Jon Rahm missing out on the PGA Tour Player of the Year caused a lot of controversy. Many pointed out that the Spaniard’s decision to join LIF Golf was behind the ‘biased’ votes.  The argument ‘in favor’ of Scheffler was that he was more consistent. Whereas, Rahm had more titles under his belt that season, in addition to his 10 top-ten finishes.

The American International, on the other hand, had 17 top-ten finishes from his 23 outings, including two runner-ups and five third-place finishes. This is where it gets more interesting, because among his 13, yep, a whopping 13 top-five finishes, the PGA Tour pro hoisted the trophy only twice.

Jon Rahm was ranked 6th in putting average, gaining 1.711 on the field. His one-putt percentage of 41.94% ranked him at 27th, whereas Strokes gained during putting put him at the 37th position. Rahm was adding 0.336 strokes to the field while putting. 

Compare that with Scheffler’s. The world no. 1 was ranked 162nd in SG: Putting. Scheffler was losing almost the same number of strokes, (0.301), that Rahm had gained. The former Masters Champion was ranked 37th on the Tour in putting average. His one-putt percentage of 38.07% put him in the 136th position in the field. 

Moreover, Scheffler’s birdie conversion percentage was just 32.59%, as opposed to Rahm’s 35.83%. The Spaniard was the third-best in the field, whereas Scottie Scheffler was 45th. The reigning Masters champion’s one-putt percentage of 41.94% put him in the 27th spot as opposed to Scheffler’s 136th. His lack of edge in the short game was the reason he missed out on multiple titles.

Scottie Scheffler could’ve won more—a lot more

Consider the 2023 BMW Championship. Scheffler was in contention for the title. That would be his third victory. He needed to putt at the penultimate hole to put more pressure on Hovland, the leader at that time. The former Masters champion instead made a bogey and then went to save par on the 18th. He finished second while the Norwegian walked off with a comfortable victory.

Scheffler, like it has been countless other times, was leading the field in strokes gained: approach to the greens and off the tee. But in SG: Putting, the U.S. International was 38th in the field, giving away around two strokes compared to the field. Hovland, however, was building his short game by partnering with Joseph Mayo. The 2023 Tour Championship winner was gaining around six strokes. That eventually made the difference.

At the PGA Championship last year, Scheffler once again had to settle for a runner-up finish. It came at the cost of leaning too heavily on one aspect of the game. Not that he played badly, but Scheffler wasn’t the tournament leader in SG: Off the Tee, SG: Approach to Green, or SG: Around the Green, arguably his strongest forte. He was eight, fifth, and eighth, respectively. The eventual champion, Brooks Koepka, was around the same spot in the field. But Kopeka was 13th in SG: Putting, gaining four strokes to the field, compared to Scheffler’s 35th, where he gained only one stroke.

Read More: ‘They Did Kind of Leave’: Scottie Scheffler Demands Harsh LIV Golf Penalties a Day After Jon Rahm’s Request

It only makes one wonder what a stellar season the world would have witnessed if Scottie Scheffler had sunk a few more putts. Scheffler’s stellar ball-striking average means he doesn’t need to be an ace putter to win his way through. Rather, the World No. 1 can just be ‘average’ and still rake in more than double what he did last year. 

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