Trevor Immelman admitted he wasn’t completely satisfied with Scottie Scheffler’s free drop on the 17th hole at the British Open Championship on Sunday, and suggested whether he felt the world No. 1 did something wrong.
Scheffler nearly had the chance to lift the Claret Jug for a second time with an incredible comeback in the final round at Royal Birkdale.
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The 30-year-old reached the 18th tee on Sunday with six birdies. Of course, there was some debate over what would be his final birdie of the championship.
Trevor Immelman reacts to Scottie Scheffler’s drop at Sunday’s British Open Championship
Scheffler missed his second shot on the par-5 17th hole wide to the left and decided to hit a provisional ball.
The American’s second shot almost certainly reached the reception area. This allowed him to stop looking for the ball and drop it free in a good position.
That helped him make birdie and keep his hopes of winning a fifth major alive. However, Scheffler made bogey at the end and finished in a tie for fourth place.
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There’s clearly a problem. Players in Scheffler’s position can try more aggressive shots, knowing that if things really go wrong, there’s a chance they can hit a third shot from a better position.
But Trevor Immelman suggested on Fried Egg Golf that the rules should be looked at, not what Scheffler did during the incident.
“It felt awkward. First of all, it was a very difficult shot. He has a really uphill lie. He knows he has to push the lie to make something happen. He was determined to go for it,” he said.
“Then I saw him say that under normal circumstances, where he didn’t have to push, he would never have hit the wood or hit the green from that lie. There was a huge dune in front of him, and it went all the way to the left. I think he said it was like he clipped something on the hill and it deflected to the left.”
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“I would say it was pretty confusing for the fans who were watching trying to figure out what was going on. You could see people looking for the ball to the left of the hospitality, and then they stopped looking. He hit a provisional before getting down there. And the next thing he did, he took the drop, he was hitting, and the graphics showed it was his third shot, and everyone was like, ‘What’s going on here?’
Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images
“But maybe, I mean, TIO, the rules about temporarily immovable obstructions are very clear, they’re all outlined and the ball is considered to have gone in there and it was a pretty good break.
“Did you feel awkward? Of course. Did he do something wrong? No.
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“In that case, he had a walking rules representative on the spot who explained the whole situation to him and let him know his options. But, admittedly, it felt a little weird. And I don’t know if the USGA and the R&A have a big championship and they don’t want to deal with this issue. It will be interesting to see if they consider going forward. Obviously, it will impact the PGA Tour, the DP World Tour, and all the other tours around the world because they operate under the R&A rules and the USGA rules.
“It’s very difficult because these big tournaments and championships have huge facilities for the fans to encourage people to come and watch and support and sponsor hospitality and things like that. And we try to get them as close to the action as possible so that people can really feel a part of it and enjoy the experience, but this is just a small part of it. That’s one of the things you have to deal with.”
Trevor Immelman on Scottie Scheffler’s putting woes at Royal Birkdale
It’s unfortunate that this incident could overshadow Scheffler’s other strong showing in the majors.
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At the British Open Championship, Scheffler finished in the top five of a major for the third time this season.
However, that seemed to sum up Schaeffler’s year. He was missing the final gear that helped make him so dominant by 2026.
Interestingly, Immelman believes Scheffler can draw a lot of positives from the way he hits the ball at Birkdale.
“It’s amazing. The consistency of this guy, it doesn’t matter the conditions and certainly it doesn’t matter the style. Sometimes it’s hard, sometimes it’s soft, sometimes it’s a low score, sometimes it’s a very tough test. So he just finds a way to get a chance to win,” he said.
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“I thought it was one of the best hits I’ve seen from him in the last few months. I actually thought he hit a lot of really beautiful shots with great zone and slot swings.”
It was almost infuriating to watch both Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler on the green in Southport. They missed so many opportunities all week.
Scheffler’s struggle to poke holes in anything was especially frustrating considering how close he was to Ryan Fox.
It’s been a while since Scheffler looked this wasteful on the greens. However, Immelman suggested there was nothing to worry about when it came to his putting.
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“It was interesting. I don’t think it’s necessarily the stroke or the technique or where you hit the putt in the face,” he said.
“He’s making a lot of putts, and there’s a good chance he’s going to have a few feet to go. And it’s either burning on the edge, or a hair hard, or coming one roll short, and they all look like he’s going to make a shot with a few feet left.”
“It’s very strange to be in this stretch where he’s not doing well on the greens at all. But I don’t see anything remarkable from a technical side. It’s just like one of those runs in golf that’s hard to explain. The ball hasn’t fallen so far.”
The 2027 season will be an exciting one for Scheffler. It’s hard to imagine that he can play this well and rarely win, as he has this season.
But he must be extremely embarrassed that he hasn’t been able to get over the line since winning the American Express earlier this year.
