Entering the Tour Championship, Scottie Scheffler wants to win for three reasons: defending his title, becoming the first tour player to do so, and, well, because he doesn’t like losing. The influence of the last reason, for one, has been visible throughout the 2025 season. Back at the WM Phoenix Open, Scheffler smashed his golf bag with his club, knocking the bag to the floor at the 15th hole on Saturday. Now, as the season closes, the World No. 1’s frustrations are becoming more apparent.

Although he kicked off his Tour Championship campaign with the starting stroke elimination joke, saying, “I guess no more sandbagging for me at the end of the year,” the mood turned serious quite quickly. In the second round at par-4 14th, Scheffler found himself in a bunker facing a challenging shot to a green featuring both downslope and downgrain conditions that complicated his approach. NUCLR GOLF shared the clip of what followed on their X account

The tweet captioned, “Scottie Scheffler club smash 💥😤,” showed his bunker shot finding the green but landing approximately 10 feet from the pin on the difficult surface. Mr. Inevitable’s disbelief was both audible and visible. The 29-year-old slammed his club into the bunker sand, creating visible damage to the pristine East Lake surface to let out his steam. See for yourself:

Scheffler opened the tournament at 7-under par and trailing leader Russell Henley by two shots. After Friday’s round, he stands at 5-under behind the shared first spot leaders Tommy Fleetwood and Russell Henley. With $40 million in prize money at stake in golf’s season-ending finale, the outburst highlighted mounting pressure on Scheffler despite his historically dominant 2025 campaign featuring five victories. Winning the FedExCup will also bring him closer to his career best of 7 wins he compiled last season.

This latest episode adds to a concerning pattern of emotional outbursts that have emerged throughout Scheffler’s 2025 season. He slammed his club at the RBC Heritage in April after a poor approach shot. He showed visible anger at the US Open at Oakmont, repeatedly hitting his club into the ground after his ball rolled away from the pin. Additionally, he had multiple emotional outbursts during The PLAYERS Championship in March, where golf reporters noted his “b*tchy energy” and witnessed him striking his golf bag with his club.

Even earlier in the year, at the WM Phoenix Open, fans had already picked up on the same fiery side of Scheffler. Many remarked that his visible frustration during the tense finish reflected just how much he hates losing. A trait, as Rick Golfs also admitted, that has fueled his relentless success but also made his recent blowups feel less like isolated lapses and more like part of a larger pattern. Sky Sports Golf’s Rich Beem also shared his thoughts after the second round at East Lake. 

He concluded, “I think the steam, the heat, late tee times, I think it’s all caught up with him today. I think he needs to decompress, get back to his family, and reset. I think he needs to push the reset button and figure out how he can compete over the weekend. He wants to win this so bad, but he’s tired.” It’s little surprise that his East Lake outburst ignited a wave of discussion online, again.

Scottie Scheffler finds support and criticism from his fans

Social media erupted immediately with golf fans expressing a broad spectrum of opinions about Scheffler’s behavior and professional athletes displaying raw emotion during competition. One fan simply stated, “Scottie Scheffler throwing tantrums.” Scheffler’s yet another documented emotional outburst this season marks a significant increase from his typically composed 2022-2024 period. Although he had some incidents last season as well, this year is turning out to be the focus.

Another supporter showed more empathy, writing, “Scottie Scheffler showing some raw emotion today. I love to see the passion and frustration. He’s human!” Emotional displays demonstrate genuine investment in performance. Even though Mr. Inevitable has been reigning over the golfing world for at least three years now, it doesn’t mean he can’t feel bad over a bad shot that could possibly ruin his run.

The criticism became much harsher from other viewers. One irate fan wrote, “F**k off Scottie Scheffler. Little tantrum twat. You’ve just hit a bunker shot to 10ft and you’re slamming your clubs like a spoilt brat. Very poor. #Golf.” Scheffler was triggered by a bunker shot that actually found the green within 10 feet of the pin, a result most amateur golfers would celebrate.

When you’re at the top, however, even a tiny possibility of giving up your position could lead to a bigger spotlight, which Scheffler clearly wants to avoid. Only, it is now pressuring him further.

Another fan kept their criticism brief but pointed. They simply called the behavior “Childish.” Meanwhile, one focused on the course damage aspect of Scheffler’s actions. “Disgusting act. Damaging the course? People look up to you, Scottie. Be better,” they wrote. While the message is understandable in this fan’s reaction, at East Lake, Scheffler’s actions didn’t exactly cause enough damage to the course. But still, people do look up to him and his calm composure.

The reactions reflect Scheffler’s unique position as both the world’s top-ranked player and a figure with a significant social media following. His dominant 2025 season includes five wins and two major championships, yet these emotional episodes have become increasingly frequent topics of discussion among golf fans. The golf world will be watching closely to see whether Scheffler can regain his composure for the final two rounds of the season.