SOUTHPORT, England (AP) — The image of Scottie Scheffler at Royal Birkdale might be the world’s No. 1 player missing one birdie chance after another to waste a great week from tee-to-green in the British Open.All he could think about Sunday when he finished were the bounces that didn’t go his way.Scheffler managed to stay in the game until the very end and capitalized on a huge break — which followed another unfortunate bounce — with a birdie on the par-5 17th hole. Needing birdie to have any chance of a playoff, he missed a putt from off the green, missed the par putt that followed and settled for a 3-under 67 to tie for fourth behind Ryan Fox.“I guess it just wasn’t my week,” said Scheffler, who had top 4-finishes in three of the four majors.Scheffler, who began the final round six shots out of the lead, quickly made up ground with three birdies in five holes — as many birdies as he had made in the previous two rounds combined. And when he holed a 15-foot birdie putt on the 12th, he was at 8 under and closing.And then he was chasing after a few frustrating bounces.
His tee shot right of the fairway on the 13th headed for the wispy grass but wound up in a deep hole, leaving him no chance but to advance it about 5 feet. Scheffler did well to make an 8-foot putt to escape with bogey.Scheffler thought his drive was ideal on the par-5 14th until it bounced just enough to the left to catch a pot bunker, leaving him no shot at the green. A potential birdie turned into par.
