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Scottie Scheffler erupted after slicing his tee shot into the rough on the 17th hole at The Open. The defending champion was in disbelief at the effort he produced while trying to remain in contention on the final day.

"What?! Why can...how does that even happen?" he bellowed. "The ball's slicing. One bounce! One bounce!"

The world number one dropped to his knees, seething with frustration, then rose and doubled over in exasperation. Matters deteriorated from there as he tried to execute his recovery shot, but succeeded only in directing it toward the hospitality tent.

Following that errant attempt, Scheffler was obliged to mark up a fresh ball and take a provisional drop. He located the gallery of spectators on his second go. Unable to recover his original ball, an extended discussion with a rules official and his caddie, Ted Scott, ensued.

The 30-year-old was permitted to take a drop after it was determined that his original ball was positioned on the temporary immovable object. It was established that the ball did not need to be located precisely, and instead, a new entry point was utilised.

By identifying the edge of the temporary immovable object, Scheffler was then able to measure two club lengths, with the ball required to be dropped within the second club length. Scheffler responded admirably to the early setback, finding the green with a well-judged approach shot.

Displaying his trademark composure on the putting surface, he duly converted a birdie on the par five to pull himself to within a single shot of the clubhouse lead.

The 18th proved less fruitful for Scheffler, who was unable to conjure the brilliance needed to thrust himself into genuine contention. The defending champion had to settle for par after requiring two putts to complete the hole, finishing with a final round 67 and a tournament total of -7.

"I was proud of how I fought today. Wish I got more out of it. I did my best," Scheffler said following his round.

"That was unusual. That was a shot I would not typically play from over there. You can't see anything. Don't know how it's going to come out. Maybe I should do it more often?!

"I had to do it the hard way. I don't know how to elaborate on it. I played well the whole day.

"I felt this was a weekend when I played a lot better than my score. I felt like the bounces were not quite going my way. I felt like I had a lot of lips.

"Thirteen and 14 really hurt. Not being able to advance those balls probably cost me a good shot and a half. That was challenging. Overall, I feel good that I can compete when things aren't going my way.

"I'm very pleased about where my swing's at and I'm excited to give it another go next week."

Despite creating a host of chances through the sheer quality of his approach play across all four days, Scheffler struggled to find any consistency with his putter. Speaking after day two, he acknowledged he was knocking on the door, yet ultimately lacked that crucial final ingredient to claim top spot.

"I did a lot of good stuff," Scheffler said on Friday. "I gave myself a lot of opportunities. Wish I holed a few more putts.

"Just continue to knock on the door, continue to give myself opportunities," he said. "If I continue to strike it like I did today and yesterday over the next couple of days, I'll be in a good spot."

Scheffler's showing was nonetheless an improvement on his build-up to the tournament. The American had failed to make the cut at the Scottish Open just a week prior to his bid to retain the Open title.