CASTLE ROCK, Colo. – It’s never good to see a professional golfer reaching for their lower back after hitting a shot. It’s even worse when that golfer is World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, who is trying to win the FedEx Cup for the first time to cap off a spectacular season.
But on the 17th hole, Scheffler hit his second shot and touched his lower back with his left hand. PGA Tour XM Radio’s Mark McCumber described it as if “it took his breath away” and Scheffler leaned on his club for an extra second.
Scheffler finished with a couple of pars and posted three birdies and two bogeys for an opening-round, 1-under 71. After the round, Scheffler downplayed any potential injury, saying, “It’s fine.”
Scheffler did concede that he woke up with a sore back and had trouble loosening it up.
“It was hard for me to get through it, and I was laboring most of the day to get through the ball,” he explained. “On 17 I was trying to hit a high draw, and that’s a shot where I’ve really got to use a big turn, big motion.”
Asked to elaborate on what happened, he said, “Maybe I hit a few too many balls yesterday or something. It was just a little sore. I’m sure I’ll get some ice on it and stuff, and I’ll be totally fine tomorrow.”
Would he do any special treatment? “Just normal routine. Just like always,” he said.
Scheffler was paired Thursday with Xander Schauffele, who is second in the FedEx Cup and shot 69 to best Scheffler, the FedEx Cup leader, by two strokes.
Schauffele said he noticed that Scheffler’s back was stiff when he tried to turn his head but joked that it may be a bigger problem for the field than for Scheffler, noting that Scheffler needed treatment on his neck at the Players Championship and elsewhere when he won. “I guess it’s a bad sign for everyone else,” he said.