Scottie Scheffler looked completely lost in his golf swing on the first day of the Players Championship, struggling desperately with his driver and irons.
Scheffler couldn’t stop Miles from missing on more than 50 percent of his full shots.
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It must have been an extremely uncomfortable feeling for him, who is said to have the best clubface control since Jack Nicklaus.
Scheffler finished 72nd in the opening round at The Players Championship on Thursday. At face value, this looks like a decent effort, especially considering the fact that the top group is only 5 under.
But anyone who watched the 29-year-old’s rounds would have noticed that he was far from his usual level.
Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images
After the round, Scheffler said his driving problems at The Players were due to a lack of confidence in where the clubhead was on the downswing.
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And Brandel Chamblee gave his opinion on what’s wrong with Scheffler’s swing right now.
Brandel Chamblee found the real cause of Scottie Scheffler’s problems
Scheffler was hard at work on his swing Thursday afternoon at TPC Sawgrass’ practice range with longtime coach Randy Smith.
Speaking on Live From The Players, Chamblee explained what he thinks is causing too many problems for Scheffler at this point.
“I just want you to realize this,“ Golf analysts said Scheffler’s swing stopped at the top of his backswing.
“That’s the top of his backswing (not parallel to the ground), okay? If he wants to go another click or two, he’s already coming down.
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“Not only is that face open, but it’s miles across the line if it goes parallel, but it doesn’t go parallel.
“So, uh, I don’t recognize this golf swing of Scottie Scheffler either.
Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images
“It’s a foot and a half shorter than last year and the face is wide open.
“I mean, as a player, sometimes you get off.
“It looks like it has a little more cupping on the left wrist. I don’t know exactly why it’s shorter, but it’s actually shorter and wider.
“I mean, we’ve been there. Your golf swing can go a little off.”
“And it’s only a few weeks. It’s not like a year. There’s plenty of time to get it done, and that’s where the problem lies.“
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Chamblee is right there. Scheffler’s clubhead was stuck far back on the downswing throughout the opening round at The Players.
Hopefully he and his coaches are aware of the problem and can eradicate it before it becomes deeply ingrained.
What Scottie Scheffler’s stats from the first day of The Players prove:
Scheffler’s most important statistical category on the first day of the Sawgrass tournament was putting.
That really says it all.
He was completely out of swing on the golf course Thursday, so it’s no wonder he ranked 68th in strokes gained driving and 38th in strokes gained approach.
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He’s the guy who’s been No. 1 in both categories on the PGA Tour for the past two seasons.
It’s worth noting that Scheffler’s chipping and pitching were very poor on the first day of The Players Championship as well.
The Dallas, Texas, native, who many say is the best chipper in the game, ranked 97th in strokes gained around the greens Thursday at TPC Sawgrass.
He seriously needs to clean up his entire game if he is going to take on TPC Sawgrass this week.
