PINEHURST, N.C. — As it turns out, even the No. 1 ranked player in the world can still learn a few things.
For all his dominance in the past couple of years, Scottie Scheffler came away from a disappointing U.S. Open performance this week having learned a couple things he may adjust in the future.
He may alter preparation by doing more on the tournament course beforehand and possibly not playing an event the week before.
Scheffler left Pinehurst quietly on Sunday, having never been in contention.
He made the weekend cut on the number at 5-over par, and finished the tournament 8-over par after shooting 71 on Sunday.
Scottie Scheffler of the United States reacts to his second shot on the fourth hole during the third round of the 124th U.S. Open at Pinehurst Resort. Getty Images
In a rarity, Scheffler didn’t shoot a single round below par in the tournament.
“It was a long week,” Scheffler said after his final round was complete. “Obviously, [I] didn’t play my best. A bit frustrating. I couldn’t hole anything. I could not see the break on these greens. The greens this week kind of had my number. I felt like I hit a lot of really good putts that did weird things at the cup that I was not expecting them to do.”
Interestingly, Scheffler didn’t make a scouting visit to Pinehurst in the weeks before the tournament, an exercise many of the top players often do.
“When we come back here in a few years [2029], I’ll probably try to do a lot more work getting things going on the greens,” Scheffler said. “I felt like I did a lot of my work around the greens this week, and maybe I needed to do more. As far as the prep work goes, probably try to do more on the course, get to know the greens a little bit better.”
Scheffler, too, wondered aloud about whether he should play the week before a major.
He played last week and won the Memorial, Jack Nicklaus’ tournament which is a PGA Tour elevated event.
“I think playing the week before, a lot of it depends on the golf course, and I think last week with the golf course the way it is, it probably was not the best prep work for me coming into another really challenging event,” he said. “I think I shot 5-under the first round at Memorial, which would have been the easiest day, and after that I was maybe 3-under from there on out.
Scottie Scheffler of the United States hits a tee shot on the fifth hole during the third round of the 124th U.S. Open at Pinehurst Resort on June 15, 2024. Getty Images
“That’s pretty U.S. Open-like, and to play that many rounds, especially with what I’ve been dealing with the weeks leading up or really kind of the whole season, really playing a lot of good golf and being in contention, I think maybe my prep would have been a little bit better for this week if I was at home.
“But, I’m obviously not going to skip Jack’s tournament. It’s a tournament I love playing. It’s a tournament that I’m humbled to be the champion at.”
He added that “going forward, I’ll maybe do things a little bit differently in the weeks leading up to majors, especially when you know it’s going to be a challenging setup at a U.S. Open.”
Scheffler, who’s playing the Traveler’s Championship this week in Connecticut, said he was planning to go home Sunday night and get to Travelers Monday night or Tuesday.
“We’ll assess and see how we feel at home,” he said.
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