The 2025 WM Phoenix Open at the Stadium Course in TPC Scottsdale, Arizona, bore witness to something rather unexpected. Scottie Scheffler is losing his calm. This isn’t something we see very often. Probably have seen it once before. At the 2024 US Open. Scheffler, known for his composed demeanor, missed a chance to complete the 16th hole at the Pinehurst No. 2 Course. Trailing behind the leaders Patrick Cantlay and Rory McIlroy by six strokes on Friday, Scheffler’s frustrations boiled over, and he ended up viciously throwing the putter in his hand away. Now, at only his second tournament in 2025, we saw something similar.

You see, in the third round of the competition, Scheffler was 2 under par for the round midway. After what was a very disappointing shot on the 15th, Scheffler approached his bag and then struck it once with the club, toppling the ball over. It was a hard swing, a clear indication of the frustration Scheffler had. Anyways, he ended up bogeying the hole.

The #1 golfer was seven shots off the leader, Thomas Detry, which would explain the reaction. However, Scheffler recovered well for two birdies in a row at the 17th and 18th holes to finish day 3 with a total score of 10 under par and T10 on the leaderboard. He sure has a good score going into the final round of the $9.2M event.

Scheffler returned to the competitive season a little this year. He was recovering from a wrist surgery he had gotten done during Christmas dinner preparations. You see, the University of Texas at Austin grad entered the 2025 PGA Tour season after registering  7 PGA Tour victories in the 2024 season. This time around, winning seems to be the only goal in mind while entering the course, as opposed to what he said at the 2024 Olympics. In Paris, he mentioned his goal was to have fun, and not take gold home. He did though. So maybe setting himself up for fun is the way for him to win? Well, only he can affirm that.

With such high standards, frustrations tend to boil over, but does that justify such actions? Fans don’t think so.

Fans demand better from Scottie Scheffler

The anger did not sit well with a lot of fans who admire and follow Scheffler for his demeanor and how he carries himself on and off the field. “That’s not very professional.” Another netizen also expressed his surprise at what Scottie Scheffler did, saying, “This is poor from Scottie.” “Poor guy can’t handle it when he’s not winning, bless him,” exclaimed another. Having returned to the course after surgery, Scheffler might be overwhelmed. He finished T9 at Pebble Beach, not bad per se, but for someone who topped the charts last season, expectations are high.

The 28-year-old has been held in high regard in the golfing community and is one of the best golfers out there in the world. So, naturally, there are going to be kids who follow him closely and try to emulate him. He himself is a father of one. For those kids, this behavior might be a huge shock. A fan sarcastically stated that Scottie Scheffler is a “great example for kids these days…”

Scheffler was arrested last year before the second round at the PGA Championship. All for misunderstanding, though. Scheffler was charged with reckless driving, second-degree assault of a police officer, and other counts, all withdrawn later. One fan jokingly stated that the time he spent arrested has influenced his behavior, causing him to act erratically. “Jail has changed him.”

But it is not just Scottie Scheffler; there have been many instances of golfers taking their anger out on their equipment after a poor shot or missed opportunity. In the 1987 Ryder Cup, Ben Crenshaw was forced to putt with his wedge and irons after an incident borne out of frustration. Crenshaw broke his putter on the ground, and regulations did not allow him to change the broken club.

Rory McIlroy found himself in hot water during the 2015 WGC Cadillac Championship. After his shot at the 8 hole went into the water, McIlroy flung his 3-iron out of frustration into the water. Despite the organizers getting the club out of the water, via a scuba diver, McIlroy completed the remainder of the tournament without the 3-iron club in his armory.

In competition with huge stakes, the frustration is understandable to a certain extent. However, having control over emotions is a key facet of preventing mistakes from continuously occurring. What do you think of Scottie Scheffler’s actions?