Scottie Scheffler’s putting turnaround sparks flying start at 3M Open after Open struggles

Scottie Scheffler wasted little time making his mark on his 3M Open debut, but it was not his world-class ball striking that stole the headlines during Thursday’s first round.

Instead, it was the part of his game that had caused him the most frustration over the previous two weeks. Putting. 

Scheffler produced a stunning turnaround with the putter at TPC Twin Cities, firing a flawless 6-under 65 while gaining more than three strokes on the greens — a dramatic improvement after his struggles at both the Scottish Open and The Open Championship. 

The World No.1 finds himself just one shot off the early pace set by clubhouse leader Emiliano Grillo, who posted a 7-under 64.

Kevin Roy, Michael Brennan and Lucas Glover also joined Scheffler with rounds of 65. 

However, the biggest story was the performance — and behaviour — of Scheffler’s TaylorMade Spider Tour X putter.

Scheffler’s putting struggles disappear in Minnesota

The 30-year-old American arrived at the 3M Open after a difficult fortnight on the greens across the pond in the United Kingdom. 

At Royal Birkdale last week, while defending his Claret Jug, Scheffler struggled significantly with his putting but still managed to finish tied fourth at The Open, finishing just three shots behind eventual winner Ryan Fox. 

The week before that he missed the cut at The Scottish Open, his first MC since August 2022. 

But Scheffler's performance in Southport was another reminder of his remarkable consistency, as he remained a factor in golf's final major of the season despite receiving almost little to no help from the greens.

Scheffler ranked 85th in Strokes Gained: Putting during the opening round at Birkdale, and finished the week 144th in that category, which was practically last. 

Four days later, the story is very different.

After missing an eight-foot birdie attempt on the 10th, his first hole of the day, Scheffler barely missed a putt for the duration. 

He finished second in SG: Putting on day one, gaining +3.532 strokes on the greens. 

A simple adjustment makes a huge difference

Speaking after his round, Scheffler explained that there was no major technical change behind his improved putting display.

Instead, the four-time major champion pointed towards better alignment and the difference between putting on fresh greens compared with the unpredictable surfaces found on links. 

“No, I mean, fresh greens is a little bit easier than like links greens,” Scheffler said.

The American explained that he spent time working on his setup and making sure he was starting the ball on his intended line.

“Part of playing links golf is the ball’s not going to roll true every single time,” Scheffler said.

“I felt I was just on the wrong end of that last week, but got here and made sure I was lined up where I thought it was and made sure I was hitting it on that line and that was about it.”

The results were immediate.

Scheffler made 135 feet of putts during his opening round at the 3M Open — his highest total of the season — and looked far more comfortable on the greens than he had throughout his recent two-week British swing. 

The 20-time PGA Tour winner rolled in six birdies in total, two on his opening nine and four more coming home. 

“Golf’s funny” – Scheffler refuses to get carried away

Despite his impressive putting numbers, Scheffler was not ready to suggest he had completely solved his issues.

When asked whether he could sense a good putting performance coming early in the round, he admitted that golf does not always work that way.

“I would love for it to be that predictable,” Scheffler said with a wry smile. 

“Actually missed a short putt on the first. I had like maybe an eight-, 10-footer on the first hole, it didn’t go in but hit it the way I wanted to.”

Scheffler added that putting can often come down to small margins.

“Yeah, golf's funny. Some days you’re hitting your lines and the line seems to be tracking toward the hole and other days it feels like you’re doing the same thing and it kind of goes around the hole.”

“But today was a day in which I was able to hole some nice putts and that’s why I was able to make some birdies out there.”

Scheffler sends early warning to 3M Open field

Scheffler is chasing his second title of the season after winning The American Express in January, and his opening round in Minnesota offered a glimpse of how dangerous he can be when every part of his game clicks.

His reputation has been built on elite iron play, consistency and incredible control from tee to green.

At The Open, he proved he could still contend without a reliable putter.

Now, with the flatstick finally cooperating, the rest of the 3M Open field has been given an early warning.

Scheffler will begin his second round at TPC Twin Cities on Friday at 12:44pm local time, looking to build on one of his best putting performances of the season.

If Thursday’s display is the start of a sustained turnaround on the greens, the rest of the field might already be playing for second. 

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