PINEHURST, N.C. – Entering the week, Scottie Scheffler was an overwhelming favorite at the U.S. Open, so much so that he moved into Scottie-versus-the-field territory. But after a workover from Pinehurst No. 2, Scheffler no longer looks as dominant. In fact, he looks more than a little unsettled.
“Another frustrating day,” Scheffler said after his round. “Today was a day where I thought I played a lot better than my score.”
His score eventually became a round of three bogey, two birdie +1, leaving him at +6 for the tournament, 11 strokes behind leader Ludvig Åberg when Scheffler left the course. Scheffler struggled with all phases of his game at one point or another, but one element in particular confused him.
“I’m having a lot of trouble reading these greens,” he said. “I had a lot of putts today where I felt like I hit it really well. I looked up and they didn’t go the way I thought they would.”
The numbers confirm him. Scheffler lost 1.52 strokes entering the field and finished in 56th place of the 74-person field. His 1.91 putts per hole are tied for 65th in the field with Brooks Koepka.
“The game of golf can be a mental torture chamber at times,” Scheffler said, “especially the U.S. Open.”
Scheffler’s plans until he tees up on Sunday to wrap up his big sound are honestly pretty ideal: “Going to the gym this afternoon, packing up, putting my feet up for the rest of the day, hanging out with my little man and my wife,” said he. “I’ll come in tomorrow morning ready to play. Like I said, I’m going to the gym today, wake up in the morning and get ready to come back to the course, see if I can learn.”
One facet that Scheffler knows will have to change: his pre-major preparation. He won at the Memorial last week, and while he appreciated the win, he understands it may have come at a cost.
“In terms of the prep work for a week that I know will be as tough as this, I’m leaning towards maybe not playing the week before. I think mainly going around Jack’s house (Muirfield), which is going to happen very be close,” he said. “I think it’s in my best interest not to play the week before when I go to the major championships, especially the championships that we know will be very challenging.”
For now, regardless of how Sunday goes, Scheffler still has one major to go, and plenty of time to return to his winning form.
