Watch: Scottie Scheffler nearly aces 16th hole, tee ball ends up off green
Pay no attention to the ShotLink chart; Scottie Scheffler was a foot away from a hole-in-one at TPC Scottsdale’s 16th hole on Friday at the WM Phoenix Open.
So, then how did his tee ball end up coming to rest off the putting surface?
Here’s how: Scheffler hit a nice cut into the green at the 158-yard stadium hole, and his ball landed about 15 feet left of the flag before beginning it’s trundle toward the cup. The ball appeared to be losing its steam about a foot out, but then a huge gust of wind, already bending the flagstick, sped the roll back up and sent the ball just off the green, about 16 feet from the hole.
“Easy,” said the announced. “Whoa! This is going to go off the green. Somebody just turned on the wind machine at 16. That ball was 10 inches at one point.”
Scheffler would go on to two-putt for a disappointing par. But he’d respond with four straight birdies after that, beginning with the par-4 17th hole, to tie Jon Rahm for the tournament lead.