Scheffler’s putter goes cold, forcing big comeback for shot at 2nd straight PGA Championship
NEWTOWN SQUARE, Pa. (AP) — Scottie Scheffler walked off Aronimink with his putter still in the bag, though the defending PGA Championship winner might not have been blamed had he chucked the club into the water. His putter failed him, and cost Scheffler a major opportunity in a tournament where no standout has emerged and led to a bunched leaderboard through three rounds.
Scheffler will still be in the mix in the final round — 14 players had at least a share of the lead at some point — yet the short game failures only stretched his odds at pulling out another PGA. A four-time major winner, Scheffler missed six putts inside 10 feet, four of them for birdie. But he made a 9-foot bogey putt on 18 for a 71.
Scheffler shot 1 over in a round where he could have grabbed a healthy lead if not for the muffed putts. Scheffler followed an opening 3-under 67 with consecutive rounds of 1 over. He slipped 14 spots, into a tie for 23rd, and is 5 shots off the lead.
“If I continue to do what I’m doing and hole a few more putts, then I think I’ll be in a good spot when tomorrow ends,” Scheffler said. The Scheffler who tore through the 2025 season, winning six times in a 4 1/2-month span, hasn’t arrived yet this year. Not even playing his best golf might be enough for Scheffler to pull off back-to-back PGA crowns.
Take last month's Masters, for a recent example. Scheffler was trying to pull off what would have been an unprecedented comeback from 12 strokes down after 36 holes. He put a championship round together and shot a 4-under 68 at Augusta National, a terrific finish but he still finished one stroke behind winner Rory McIlroy.