Scottie Scheffler keeps his cool in Travelers Championship round one to brush off US Open nightmare
- READ MORE: Scottie Scheffler is joined by his wife Meredith and newborn son
- READ MORE: Scottie Scheffler is burnt once again in brutal US Open third round
Scottie Scheffler meandered into TPC River Highlands clubhouse pushing his newborn son in a stroller alongside beaming wife Meredith Thursday morning. The wholesome sight was a stark contrast to the rattled World No. 1 who toiled away at Pinehurst just a week ago.
Surreal scenes swept the US Open as Scheffler fell victim to the Pinehurst ‘torture chamber’ last week but as he strolled off the 18th green at The Travelers Championship Thursday, his North Carolina nightmare was nothing but a distant memory.
Unlike Rory McIlroy, who withdrew from the final signature event of the season following his US Open collapse - likely in order to address the soap opera of his personal life - Scheffler brushed off his own implosion.
Following the opening round at TPC River Highlands, it was clear that the US Open was a mere blip. For Scheffler, it was business as usual.
And it’s a business Scheffler knows all too well. The World No. 1 has won three of the seven PGA Tour’s signature events so far this season and after the opening round of the latest, the chance of adding another to his trophy cabinet was in sight.
Scottie Scheffler was back to business at The Travelers Championship on Thursday
The World No. 1 brushed off his US Open nightmare at Pinehurst No. 2 last week
After flirting with an early exit last week, Scheffler would have been grateful for the lack of a cut at the signature event. Not that the risk of repeat will be keeping him up Thursday night - that will likely be left to baby Bennett.
Following his opening five-under 65, Scheffler was back in familiar territory, three shots off Tom Kim at the top of the leaderboard.
He rattled off a trio of birdies through the second, third and fourth to swiftly brush off the cobwebs left behind by Pinehurst. Yet old wounds looked set to be reopened, when he made the trip from bunker to bunker at the sixth, leaving a bogey blemish on his card.
But, just like his US Open catastrophe, it was a mere blip - one that was long forgotten by the 13th. Scheffler soared back up into contention with an eagle at the par-five, firing a rocket of a second shot 256 yards onto the green and sinking the seven-footer.
The birdie that followed at 14 sealed a share of sixth at five-under. Will he be ruing a few missed opportunities? Perhaps. But more likely, he’ll be relieved to find himself back in the red - something he’s not experienced since the third round of the Memorial.
After shooting an opening 65, Scheffler was three shots off the top of the leaderboard
The American soared back up into contention with an eagle at the par-five 13th
Early risers, Akshay Bhatia, Rickie Fowler and Kurt Kitayama took advantage of the cooler morning to watch their rivals grind through the grueling heat from the safety of the air-conditioned clubhouse at six-under.
As temperatures soared to highs of 94 degrees, they were joined by Will Zalatoris, who, if not for a dropped shot at the par-three 16th, would have snatched the outright lead.
Instead, it was Kim who leads alone after round one courtesy of a birdie-birdie flourish to finish his eight-under 62.
Scheffler was joined by PGA Championship winner Xander Schauffele and Tony Finau among those five shots off Kim's pace.
Scheffler admitted Wednesday that the brutal setup of Pinehurst No. 2 had messed with his head last week, while mental fatigue was beginning to creep in amid the relentless schedule and high temperatures.
But in the New England furnace, the cool and collected Scheffler returned. A group of fans lined the first fairway dressed in shirts with his Louisville mugshot splashed across the front. It has become a familiar sight since his prison break at the US Open. As has the echo of calls to ‘Free Scottie’ - despite all charges against him long dropped.
Tom Kim leads The Travelers Championship after an opening round of eight-under
Yet, they didn’t permeate his placid existence. Nor did the shouts of encouragement. Nor the jokes to be wary of the Cromwell cops walking with him and Max Homa. Not even the Boston Celtics fan taking aim at his beloved Dallas Mavericks seemed to rattle him. Under the baking heat, Scheffler kept his cool.
‘I wasn't chilly this morning, I'm definitely not chilly now,’ he said of the heat. ‘But it's different, because where I live - I looked at the weather for next week - it basically doesn't get below 80 degrees.
‘Here when you wake up there's a little bit of a break in the morning where it still feels cool. But, yeah, during the rest of the day it was definitely still pretty warm out there.’
He may say ‘warm’, others may say feverish but all debates aside, as the sun baked down on the greens of TPC River Highlands, one thing was indisputable - just like the sliver of cool morning air amid the Connecticut heat, the US Open was merely a reprieve for the rest of the field. Scheffler is back, and he’s turning on the heat.
