Scottie Scheffler silenced critics of his wedge game and made sure they knew it with a clutch birdie that kept his TOUR Championship chase alive through two rounds of competition

Scottie Scheffler got revenge on a reporter who criticized his wedge game during Round 2 of the TOUR Championship (Image: YouTube (@TenGolf))

Scottie Scheffler turned an exchange with a reporter into fuel for one of his best shots at the Tour Championship on Friday. The world No. 1 claims that the shot answered criticism of his wedge play after scoring a birdie on East Lake’s par-5 18th hole Friday.

Scheffler entered Round 2 looking to chase down leader Tommy Fleetwood. On his approach to the final green, he found himself with 110 yards to carry over water. The world No. 1 perfectly placed a shot up the slope and landed it just inches from the flag before easily rolling in the putt.

The birdie extended his streak of rounds in the 60s to 19 and added to his extensive records, tying the second-longest mark on the Tour since 1983. Afterward, Scheffler couldn’t resist a pointed, yet joking callback to questions he had to answer for a day earlier about his wedge game.

“Yes,” Scheffler said when asked if the 18th was a direct response.

“It was like, man, I’ve really increased the standard. I shot 7-under, and Doug (an Associated Press writer) is insulting my wedge game. It was a tough pill to swallow after my round today.”

“I hit two good wedges to finish off. I notice Doug is not here anymore, so I guess he’s got nothing good to ask me,” he said with a laugh.

The “Doug” in question pressed Scheffler during Round 1, implying his wedges weren’t sharp enough despite a blistering 63.

“As well as you drove the ball, and it seemed like you had a lot of wedges in your hand, maybe not as many chances as you would have wanted… was there anything with the distance, weather, wind, anything?” the reporter asked.

Scheffler’s reply immediately went viral, as fans continued to get a glimpse of his true character all season long.

“Thanks for pointing that out. I really appreciate it. What did I shoot, 7-under? Wedges were terrible.” He then explained how the swirling winds from approaching storms complicated several approaches.

Scheffler sits sixth on the leaderboard at 8-under through two rounds, five shots back of Fleetwood. He posted a 63 in Round 1 and followed it with a 29 on Friday’s front nine, keeping him in contention with two rounds remaining.

Scheffler’s tee time partner and Ryder Cup rival, Rory McIlroy, also finished his round with a closing birdie. Scheffler actually supported McIlroy in sinking the shot.

“I have never rooted so hard for somebody’s ball to come back, outside of my partner in a team event, because we’re walking to 18 and Bones told us they were going to blow (the horn) at any second,” he said.

“So I’m watching his ball fly toward the grandstand. I’m like, ‘Oh, my gosh, we’ve got no way of finishing this thing.’ So I was relieved when I saw it come back on the green.”