Scottie Scheffler risks missing US Open cut

Golf

By Marc Cannizzaro

PINEHURST, N.C. – Superman has had a tough time.

Scottie Scheffler, the world's No. 1 player by far, risks missing the cut at the 124th US Open.

Scheffler entered this week at Pinehurst No. 2 having won five of his previous eight tournaments, his worst finish being an eighth-place finish at last month's PGA Championship.

He followed his over-par 71 in the first round on Thursday with an over-par 74 in the second round on Friday to sit at 5 over par through 36 holes.

By the time Scheffler finished his round, he was two shots on the wrong side of the cut line, which was 3 over par. The 60 best scores and ties among the 156 players on the field are retained.

Scheffler was tied for 90th place at the end of his heat.

If, after the afternoon rounds are completed, Scheffler's 5-over-par is not inside the cut line, it will be the first time he has failed to compete in a weekend tournament since missing the cut at FedEx St. Jude in August 2022.

That was 38 successful cups and seven victories ago.

Scheffler, after his opening round 1-over-par 71, said he didn't do anything right in Thursday's round.

On Friday, he did less than that, not making a single birdie.

This is the first time in his 18 career major championships as a professional that Scheffler has failed to make at least one birdie in a major championship round.

In Scheffler's 36 holes, he only made the two birdies he made Thursday, while he also made three bogeys.

On Friday, Scheffler, who started at No. 10, aced his first five holes, then made bogey on the par-3 15th and the par-3 17th. Then, on his back nine, he made a double bogey on the fifth hole , by 5.

What made it all so amazing was the fact that Scheffler came to Pinehurst after winning the Memorial on Sunday, his fifth win this season.

But its preparation was somewhat abbreviated.

Scheffler arrived Monday afternoon from Ohio and did some chipping and putting. He played the back nine on Tuesday and the front nine on Wednesday.

Interestingly, Scheffler opted not to visit Pinehurst until tournament week for familiarization, as many top players do.

In all honesty, a lot has happened. His wife, Meredith, was heavily pregnant and had the couple's child in mid-May.

Scheffler also went through that whole arrest and jail situation at the Louisville PGA, where the charges were later dropped.

“With some circumstances that happened off the golf course, it was a little more difficult,” Scheffler said before the tournament when asked about compartmentalization.

Scheffler did not play at Pinehurst in 2014, the last time the U.S. Open was played on the No. 2 course.

“I think the golf course is going to be pretty tough this week, but it’s going to be a fun test,” Scheffler said Tuesday. “I think the golf course is great. It's extremely difficult.