Scottie Scheffler Explains the Reason For Laughing Mid-Round at PGA Championship
ORLANDO, FL - MARCH 07: Scottie Scheffler of United States of America looks on at the 11th hole during the third round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard 2026 at Arnold Palmer Bay Hill Golf Course on March 07, 2026 in Orlando, Florida. Photo by Joe Robbins/Icon Sportswire GOLF: MAR 07 PGA, Golf Herren Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard EDITORIAL USE ONLY Icon5732603070383
ORLANDO, FL - MARCH 07: Scottie Scheffler of United States of America looks on at the 11th hole during the third round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard 2026 at Arnold Palmer Bay Hill Golf Course on March 07, 2026 in Orlando, Florida. Photo by Joe Robbins/Icon Sportswire GOLF: MAR 07 PGA, Golf Herren Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard EDITORIAL USE ONLY Icon5732603070383
Defending champion Scottie Scheffler could not do much but laugh after a missed shot at the PGA Championship. The American golfer teed it up for the opening round of the major on Thursday.
He then encountered a hilarious incident on the par-3 14th involving fellow golfer Matt Fitzpatrick. In the tournament presser after the round, the world No. 1 opened up about his shot and his reaction to it.
"I just watched Fitzy's putt break right to left, and he missed it on the left side," Scheffler said. "So I played it what I thought was right center, and it broke pretty severely to the right. There's just not much you can do there other than laugh."
via Usta
Augusta, Georgia, USA; Scottie Scheffler lines up his putt on the No. 17 green during the third round of the Masters Tournament. Mandatory Credit: Adam Cairns-USA TODAY Network
Scheffler started the round on the first tee and made par on the first three holes, but there was a minor hiccup on the fourth as he made a bogey on the par-4.
However, he quickly bounced back by adding two straight birdies on the sixth and seventh and finished the front nine at 1-under.
On the back nine, he got off to another great start with back-to-back birdies on the 10th and 11th before making a bogey on the 14th. He added another birdie on the 16th to wrap up the day at 3-under, giving him a fantastic start to the week.
He was tied for the lead with Martin Kaymer, Ryo Hisatsune, Min Woo Lee, Stephan Jaeger, and Aldrich Potgieter.
Scottie Scheffler Says It Was a “Nice Start” to the Week at the PGA Championship
Scheffler was happy with his opening-round performance at the PGA Championship 2026 on Thursday. He said it was the “best start” he had gotten this year besides “The American Express.”
"I felt like, especially going into the weekend when you look at like the Masters and Hilton Head and Cadillac, finishing second was probably not all that bad from where I was starting the weekend," Scheffler said. "Yeah, definitely nice to get off to a better start this week."
It was one of his lowest opening-round scores this season on the PGA Tour. Before that, he had a strong start at The American Express, where he carded a 63 in the first round. It was followed by rounds of 64, 68, and 66, and he went on to win the tournament.
At the RBC Heritage, he also got off to a good start by shooting a 68 in the opening round. So far this season, Scottie Scheffler has one win and three runner-up finishes.
Another major win this weekend would solidify Scheffler's historic 2026 run.
Read more at Club Golf!
Written by
Ankita Yadav
Edited by
Pulkit Prabhav