Scottie Scheffler Lost a Bet With His Caddie After Epic Hole Out at the Players

Scottie Scheffler took the solo lead of the Players Championship in epic fashion on Saturday, but while doing so, he also lost a season-long bet to his caddie.

Scheffler, who started Round 3 at 7-under par for the tournament, birdied his first hole out of the gates to make some headway on then-leader Adam Svensson, positioned at 9-under. On the second hole, however, Scheffler made an even stronger push. 

On the 534-yard par-5, the world No. 2 left himself with a 20-yard chip for eagle. Taking a hack at TPC Sawgrass’s juicy rough, Scheffler landed the shot in perfect position. His ball hit the fringe and gently found the bottom of the cup. The world-class shot sent Scheffler up to the top of the leaderboard, while Svensson finished with bogey and dropped a shot, giving the 2022 Masters champion a solo lead. 

By the stunned look on Scheffler’s face after the hole-out, there had to be more to the story, and indeed there was. John Wood, an NBC on-course analyst, chimed in and revealed some hilarious context behind the shot. 

It turns out that Scheffler and his caddie, Ted Scott, have a season-long bet about how many hole-outs the Texas Longhorn can make. If Scheffler made 10 hole-outs throughout the season, he’d have to pay Scott a friendly cash bonus on top of his typical pay. 

According to Wood, that chip-in on the TPC Sawgrass’s second hole sealed the deal for Scott. 

The best part? It’s only March and Scheffler has a double-digit hole-out count. 

Scheffler, who was awarded Player of the Year honors after his decorated 2022 performance, is off to an undeniably hot start this season. In early February, Scheffler successfully defended his title at the WM Phoenix Open, the PGA Tour’s second ever “designated” event. Now, he’ll look to win his first Players Championship and take home the record-breaking $4.5 million winner’s prize.