MEDINAH, IL — Scottie Scheffler came walking over like an upset parent.
A fan at the 2026 Presidents Cup had yelled "Go Scottie" in the middle of Nico Echavarria's backswing on the 14th hole in the middle of their singles match on Sunday, Sept. 27. As Echavarria glared in the direction of the noise, his tee shot sailing far right of the fairway, the world's No. 1 golfer came to his defense in front of the red, white and blue-clad crowd at Medinah Country Club outside Chicago.
"There's no place for that," Scheffler shouted toward the gallery.
What happened next was a rare display of sportsmanship in the heat of international competition and could endure as a Presidents Cup memory much more so than anything else that occurred during Scheffler's 2&1
victory.
Once Echavarria worked his way out of the rough, his third shot ended up 32 feet from the hole in the back of the 14th green. After Scheffler missed on a birdie chance, he elected to concede the long putt to Echavarria to tie the hole as a gesture of good will due to the fan distraction.
When asked about the decision after the match ended on the 17th hole, Scheffler still seemed bothered by what led to it.
"I don't even really want to talk about it," Scheffler told NBC. "There's no place for that."
A classy move from Scottie Scheffler.
— PGA Tour (@PGATour) September 27, 2026
After a fell yelled in Nico's swing, Scottie conceded a 32-footer to tie the hole. pic.twitter.com/CL6w1fl52s
Scheffler finished the 2026 Presidents Cup with a 3-1 record after his singles win over Echavarria. U.S. team captain Brandt Snedeker elected to sit Scheffler during Saturday afternoon's foursomes session in a surprise move.
The U.S. entered Sunday facing a 10.5-7.5 deficit against the International team before winning three of the first five singles matches. The Americans have lost the Presidents Cup just once since the event was conceived in 1994.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Scottie Scheffler concedes putt at Presidents Cup after fan yells at opponent
