Scottie Scheffler really struggled during his opening round of the US Open at Shinnecock Hills on Thursday.
The fact that Scheffler shot a round of two-over par in testing conditions at Shinnecock Hills was testament to his unbelievable ability to grind out a score when he’s playing poorly.
The 29-year-old world number one has been nowhere near his best all season long.
What have you made of Scottie Scheffler’s behavior both on and off the course?
Scheffler was seen arguing with his coach after his first round at Shinnecock…
He has still managed to win once and record seven top-5 finishes in 12 events, in spite of the fact that his swing is simply not in sync like it has been over the past few years.
However, the 29-year-old’s game was never going to be in a fit state for him to contend at the US Open this week.
Scheffler has been uncharacteristically angry on the golf course throughout the 2026 PGA Tour season.
It’s obvious to see that the Dallas native is beyond frustrated with his golf swing right now.
Scheffler’s real issue is much deeper than him just being slightly off with his tempo or rhythm, and he needs to start getting honest with himself about that.
Scottie Scheffler’s familiar swing issue has been exposed at Shinnecock
If the world number one is to have any chance of winning either this week at Shinnecock Hills or next month at the Open Championship, he needs to address one key issue with his swing.
Scheffler’s problems over the past few months have been caused by his swing being longer than it has ever been.
This means that he gets across the line at the top of his swing, with his clubhead pointing well to the right of his intended target.
As a result of the position he’s getting in at the top of his backswing, his downswing is far too steep and over the top. This leads to far too much left to right spin on his ball.
This is exactly why he’s struggling to play in windy conditions right now.
Look at what happened in the playoff against Matt Fitzpatrick at Harbour Town Links in April.
Look at how many times his ball landed on the greens at Shinnecock Hills on Thursday at the US Open, before rolling off.
That was happening because he was hitting a huge cut with the wind, rather than working his ball against it.
Scottie Scheffler needs to get honest with himself
Scottie Scheffler is simply putting too much curve on his golf ball right now. His ball flight was pretty neutral in 2025 and 2024.
He has always hit a slight fade but, this season, that has turned into a 30 yard slice at times. It makes it almost impossible to hit fairways and greens when he’s faced with a left to right wind.
What have you made of the setup on Thursday at the US Open?
Shinnecock Hills has been brutal…
All of the high profile golf analysts continue to beat the drum that Scheffler is close to his best.
They keep telling us there is nothing to worry about, but they’re wrong.
Scottie Scheffler will know that as well. He simply hasn’t had control of his golf ball this season and for someone who prides himself on distance control, that will be eating away at him.
The sooner that Scheffler, and indeed Randy Smith, admit that a drastic change is required with his swing, the sooner the world number one will be able to get back to his very best.
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