PINEHURST, N.C. — After all, it seems even the No. 1 ranked player in the world still has some learning to do.
Despite his dominance over the past few years, Scottie Scheffler learned some things from his disappointing performance at the U.S. Open this week that he needs to adjust going forward.
He may make changes to his preparation, such as practicing more on the tournament course beforehand or not playing an event the week before.
Scheffler has never been in contention for a win and left Pinehurst quietly on Sunday.
He made the weekend cut at five-over par and then shot a 71 on Sunday to finish the tournament at eight-over par.
Scheffler, unusually, never shot below par throughout the tournament.
“It’s been a long week,” Scheffler said after the final round. “Obviously, [I] “I didn’t play my best. It was a little frustrating. I didn’t hole anything. I didn’t see the break on this green. It was my turn on the green this week. I felt like I hit a lot of really good putts that just took weird unexpected turns on the cup.”
Interestingly, Scheffler did not make a scouting visit to Pinehurst in the weeks before the tournament, a common activity for many top players.
“If I come back here in a few years, [2029]”I’m going to get some more practice in to get in shape on the greens,” Scheffler said. “I feel like I’ve had a lot of practice around the greens this week, but maybe I needed more practice. As far as prep work, I’d like to get some more practice on the course and get to know the greens a little better.”
Scheffler also questioned aloud whether he should play the week before a major tournament.
He played in and won the Jack Nicklaus Memorial Tournament, an elevated event on the PGA Tour, last week.
“I think a lot depends on how you play the week before and the state of the golf course last week, I don’t think it was the best preparation for me going into another very difficult tournament,” he said. “At the Memorial, I think I shot five under in the first round, which was probably my easiest day, and then I was probably about three under after that.
“It’s just like the U.S. Open. Playing all those rounds, especially after playing a lot of good golf all season and being in the running for the championship over the last few weeks, I feel like if I had been at home I might have been a little better prepared going into this week.”
“But I certainly won’t miss Jack’s tournament. It’s a tournament I love and one I’d be honored to win.”
He added: “Going forward, I might do things a little differently in the weeks leading up to a major, especially when I know the set-up for the U.S. Open is going to be tough.”
Scheffler, who is in Connecticut this week for the Travelers Championship, said he plans to return home Sunday night and play for the Travelers on Monday night or Tuesday.
“We’ll evaluate and see how it feels at home,” he said.
