Scottie Scheffler accused of walking straight through Cameron Smith's line as LIV debate blows up
If intentional, it's clearly a big middle finger to new LIV recruit Smith.
Scottie Scheffler just committed golf's number one cardinal sin.
The world No.1 sent golf fans into complete and utter meltdown by walking straight through Cameron Smith's line.
Whether he meant it or not is another question entirely, but the act itself certainly looks spicy.
Recently-crowned British Open champion Smith was preparing to putt on the 12th hole in the opening round of the PGA Tour’s FedEx St. Jude Championship in Memphis.
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With his ball just a few metres from the hole, the Aussie was set to knock it in with ease – that was until Scheffler entered the picture.
The American, who won this year's Masters and finished runner-up at the US Open, casually strolled across his rival's line – a move, in the eyes of many, which is a big no-no in golf.
When footage of the incident emerged online, it sent viewers into a frenzy with some claiming it was clearly intentional while others weren't so sure.
If the act was on purpose, then it was a clear middle finger to Smith, who recently announced that he'd be jumping ships to the Saudi-back LIV Golf league.
Scheffler - alongside the likes of Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy and Justin Thomas - are choosing to remain loyal with the PGA Tour and are refusing to be lured over to the controversial breakaway competition.
That said, Smith and Scheffler high-fived each other on the green during the previous hole.
So, if truth be told, Scheffler could have been completely off with the fairies, meaning it would have been a total accident.
Both are yet to comment.
However, Scheffler has spoken out against the rebel league before.
“Those guys kind of made their decision to go join another tour and they broke the rules and regulations of our tour and now they’re trying to sue us, which is definitely a bit frustrating,” he said of the players who tried to get an exemption from the FedEx playoffs after LIV.
“I definitely am surprised to see some guys now suing us. If they win, come out here and play, that’s something that’s up to the courts, I can’t control what’s going to happen in a court case. Definitely interested but at the end of the day it has no effect on my preparation for the week.”
Max Sherry