Golfer Scottie Scheffler Was Trying to ‘Protect’ Himself With Throat Slash Sign
The No. 1 ranked male golfer in the world went into to The Masters as the betting favorite to win the tournament, but he was defeated by defending champion Rory McIlroy.
Some of the other headlines from the weekend include when Scheffler shut down a reporter for asking what he called a “terrible question.” The journalist’s question was, “That was a 65 today. What did it feel like it could have or should have been?”
Scheffler responded by saying, “That’s just a terrible question. Next question. Awful.”
Now, an expert who analyzed the footage is pointing out what Scheffler did while fielding questions from reporters that day that showed he was trying to “protect” himself.
Expert reveals what Scheffler was signaling with ‘throat slash’ gesture
Darren Stanton is a body language and behavioral expert with a degree in psychology. He previously worked as a police officer and used his expertise to uncover the truth when interviewing hundreds of suspects. He later moved into media and TV as a consultant and has been dubbed the “Human Lie Detector.”
Speaking on behalf of OLBG, Stanton told Showbiz Cheat Sheet that Scheffler showed signs of “vulnerability” during his chat with reporters after playing in the third round at The Masters on April 11.
The expert explained, “Scottie Scheffler is feeling vulnerable. When he’s asked the question by the reporter, he does something called a throat slash. He puts his hand to his mouth and he’s got lip suppression, which is when he wants to speak but he knows he can’t.
“He wipes his mouth and brings his hand down to his throat. The throat is a significant part of the body and we call it a throat slash because he feels extremely vulnerable. The throat slash is also a sign of self-protection. After he responds to the reporter by saying ‘that’s a silly question’, he then shows a fake smile. We know this is a fake smile because only half the face is engaged. His shoulders are brought in tight during the interview.”
Scheffler wasn’t happy with course conditions
Scheffler also made it known with his public comments that he wasn’t pleased with the course conditions at Augusta National.
“I’m not in charge of course setup. I would’ve liked it to have been a little bit more equal in terms of the firmness on Thursday and Friday,” Scheffler said. “I was a bit surprised at how soft things were on Friday afternoon, especially as it got late in the day. But the weather also changes, like it was a bit windy on Thursday.
“So who knows, it’s just that’s part of the game. We play an outdoor sport, and you don’t know how conditions are gonna change — especially course conditions. Overall, like I said, just Friday for me, going out early, not being able to shoot an under-par round, that definitely hurt my chances. I think I started the weekend maybe 12 back, so to get within one was a pretty good run.”
McIlroy’s victory made him the first repeat champion at Augusta National since Tiger Woods in 2001 and 2002.
Showbiz Cheat Sheet acknowledges that conditions and cultures can impact body language and is sensitive to all backgrounds.
