GULLANE, Scotland — Usually mild-mannered South African Charl Schwartzel smashed his 6-iron in a temper-tantrum meltdown on the 15th hole yesterday. After an errant second shot, Schwartzel, who had bogied three consecutive holes at the time, slammed his iron to the ground and snapped the shaft in half.

“It’s what this championship does to you,’’ Schwartzel said. “I didn’t take into account the ground was so hard. I’ve not done that too many times, but it’s never resulted in any club breaking.’’

Schwartzel, a former Masters champion, had a similar angry incident in the 2012 Deutsche Bank Championship when he four-putted the final hole after trailing by three shots and stormed off the green.

He shot a 4-over-par 75 yesterday. — Mark Cannizzaro