CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- As the ball sailed through the air, Scottie Scheffler's shuffling feet froze in their place. He watched his parabola of a tee shot reach its apex before landing exactly where it needed to -- just short of the 14th green, bounding forward then rolling onto the surface like a putt.
From 304 yards away, Scheffler had placed the ball 2 feet, 9 inches from the hole. The ensuing eagle putt was a formality that tied him for the lead at 8-under, but it might as well have served as a flashing billboard around Quail Hollow Country Club that announced one of professional golf's maxims over the past two years: Scottie Scheffler is inevitable.