PINEHURST, N.C. — Scottie Scheffler was the overwhelming favorite to win the U.S. Open this week, edging closer to Scottie-versus-everyone territory. But after his comeback in the second round at Pinehurst, Scheffler no longer looks so dominant and instead looks rather shaken.
“It was another frustrating day,” Scheffler said after his round. “It was one of those days where I felt like I played a lot better than my score would suggest.”
Scheffler had three bogeys and two birdies for a one-over round that put him at six over for the tournament and 11 strokes behind leader Ludvig Oberg when he left the course. Scheffler has struggled at times in every aspect of his game, but one element in particular has stumped him.
“I really struggle with reading the greens,” he said. “There were a lot of putts today that I felt like I hit really well, and then I looked up and it just didn’t go the way I thought it would.”
The numbers back up his claim: Scheffler lost 1.52 strokes per putting, good for 56th out of 74 players in the field, and his 1.91 putts per hole tied him with Brooks Koepka for 65th in the field.
“The game of golf can be a mental torture chamber at times, especially the U.S. Open,” Scheffler said.
Scheffler’s plan leading up to teeing off on Sunday is, frankly, pretty ideal. “I’m going to go to the gym this afternoon, get packed up, chill out the rest of the day and spend time with my son and my wife,” he said. “I’ll go out tomorrow morning ready to play. Like I said, I’m going to go to the gym today, get up in the morning, get ready to hit the course again and see if I can practice.”
One thing Scheffler knows he needs to change is his preparation before major tournaments. He won the Memorial Tournament last week and while he was grateful for the win, he understands it may come at a cost.
“In terms of preparing for what I know will be as tough a week as this one, it might be best not to play the week before, especially going to Jack’s hometown (Muirfield) and I think it’s going to be pretty close,” he said. “Going into a major championship, especially one that I know will be really tough, it might be best for me not to play the week before.”
For now, regardless of how Sunday’s match unfolds, Scheffler has one more major tournament remaining and plenty of time to get back into winning form.
