Scottie Scheffler did not play his best golf at the Arnold Palmer Invitational and Kevin Kisner could tell he was annoyed.
Scheffler was the favorite to win the tournament after his victory last season by five shots to Wyndham Clark.
He performed steadily throughout the week but was never in contention with a two-under-par 70, his lowest-scoring round.
Kisner explained that the world number one struggled in one particular area, which also happened at times last season despite his seven victories.
Kevin Kisner noticed Scottie Scheffler’s frustration at Arnold Palmer Invitational
There was not too much wrong with Scheffler’s game at Bay Hill as he only finished just outside of the top 10, alongside Tommy Fleetwood, Robert MacIntyre and Aaron Rai.
However, the 13-time PGA Tour winner’s standards are so high that it’s surprising when he’s not contending on the back nine on Sunday.
Kisner puts Scheffler’s underwhelming display at the Arnold Palmer down to one thing, and he was clearly aware of it himself.
“It seems to me like he always relies on the putter,” Kisner said. “If the putter is working, he wins. If it’s not, he’s in the top 10. That’s a great luxury to have in this game. I sure wish that was my career.
“Last week he just seemed really frustrated on the greens, which we saw a few times last year, even though he won seven times. I feel like he’s not very far off. He’s always around.”
Kisner went on to compliment Scheffler’s consistency and even suggested that he can replicate last season’s winning spree.
“I was on the telecast this weekend. You’re just sitting around and all of a sudden we’re going to Scottie Scheffler. I’m like, ‘where is he?’ There he is, he’s tied for 8th or tied for 11th and it’s like, we’ve not talked about him for two hours and he’s hanging around putting for birdie to get inside the top 10. That’s just a testament to how consistent he is.
“When you lead the field in driving like he was doing last week, it’s hard not to be in the top 10. You’re playing from the fairway, you’re hitting it far, you’re gaining so many strokes. If he can get the putter heated up, I think he can start another run like he had last year.”
Scottie Scheffler’s 2025 PGA Tour season finishes
Scheffler missed the first few events of the season due to a hand injury and has not quite rediscovered his old form since his return.
The American’s performances have not been concerning by any means, with two top-10 finishes, but he has yet to get over the winning line.
| Tournament | Position | Score | Winning Score |
| Pebble Beach Pro-Am | T9 | -15 | -21 |
| Phoenix Open | T25 | -9 | -24 |
| Genesis Invitational | T3 | -9 | -12 |
| Arnold Palmer Invitational | T11 | -4 | -11 |
He will now head to the Players Championship looking for his first victory since the Hero World Challenge before Christmas – and he has an excellent chance.
Scheffler can make history at The Players by joining Jack Nicklaus as the only player to win the event three times and the first to achieve a ‘three-peat’.
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