“Mandela effect”; “Drastic difference” – Fans confused as US and world feed show two different Scottie Scheffler tee shots on 18 at The Open

Several fans have been left feeling confused on social media as Scottie Scheffler's final shot was apparently shown differently on the US and world feeds. The Fried Egg Golf podcast's host Andy Johnson highlighted the issue on his X (formerly Twitter) account. He shared two clips of Scottie Scheffler's tee shot from the 18th hole of The Open Championship 2024, which concluded on Sunday, July 21.

In the clip shared by Johnson, the world feed showed Scheffler throwing his club after taking the shot and the ball landing in the grass. Meanwhile, the NBC feed showed Scheffler taking the shot with the ball landing on the fairway. Highlighting the difference, Johnson wrote:

"Confused, Scheffler’s tee shot on 18 was different on the world feed and telecast. This was from the world feed"

Some fans also expressed confusion in the comments section, noting the significant difference between the two clips:

"Mandela effect," a fan commented.

"Pretty drastic difference lol," a fan wrote.

However, others suggested a possible explanation for the change in coverage. They stated that NBC had shown the provisional shot, which is why it was different.

"They did mention that was his provisional tee shot," another X user jotted.

"Andy. They are called “provisionals” and occur regularly in pro golf," another user wrote.

Here are more fans' reactions:

Fans' reaction (Image via X/@AndyTFE)

For those unversed with the term 'provisional', if a player believes their tee shot has traveled too far and might be difficult to find, they can take a provisional shot by announcing it clearly within three minutes after their first shot.

The player can play with the provisional shot until they find the original ball. However, if they cannot find the original ball, they continue with the provisional, which becomes their original ball under a penalty of stroke and distance.

This saves time and allows players to continue their game without delay. Golf Rule 18.3 covers the provisional ball rule. It states:

"If your ball might be lost outside a penalty area or be out of bounds, to save time you may play another ball provisionally under penalty of stroke and distance. But if you are aware that the only possible place your original ball could be lost is in a penalty area, a provisional ball is not allowed and a ball played from where the previous stroke was made becomes your ball in play under penalty of stroke and distance."

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Scottie Scheffler shot a double bogey on the 18th in The Open Championship finale

Scottie Scheffler had a rough outing in the final round of the 2024 Open Championship. He struggled in the final round, scoring a 1-over 72, and settled in a tie for seventh place with Jon Rahm and Sungjae Im.

On the 18th hole, Scheffler shot a double bogey. He started smoothly in the final round with a birdie on the third hole, but as the game progressed, he had a tough time on the greens.

Scheffler shot a bogey on the sixth hole, followed by two back-to-back birdies on the seventh and eighth holes, and then a double bogey on the ninth hole. On the back nine, he shot a birdie along with the double bogey on the 18th.

Xander Schauffele won the major with a round of 65 on Sunday. Justin Rose and Billy Horschel finished tied for second place.