Scottie Scheffler’s U.S. Open performance ended Sunday night with a final-round 71, and it left him two shots short of a playoff with Wyndham Clark. The world No. 1 is still chasing the career grand slam, and the result keeps his first U.S. Open title out of reach.
Shinnecock finish
Scheffler needed a 67 to get into the playoff, but he never got there after the 71 at Shinnecock. He finished his first attempt to complete the career grand slam in the final pairing, which made the gap at the end feel even narrower.
Clark won the U.S. Open with an opening 64, and Scheffler was eight shots worse than him in the first round. That early deficit hung over the rest of the week and left Scheffler trying to make up ground over 54 holes.
Scheffler's early rounds
He said the issue has been happening early, not late. “I’ve been pretty good in first rounds over the last few years, and for some reason, the sharpness just hasn’t been there early in tournaments,” Scheffler said Sunday night after the round. “I haven’t had those leads that I’ve needed in order to win tournaments.”
He added, “I’ve been playing catch-up all year.” That line fits the shape of this week and the rest of his season, with strong overall play but a pattern of starting behind before he can turn the round into his own pace.
Pebble Beach awaits
Scheffler has now finished top 10 at the U.S. Open five times, so the finish is another near-miss rather than a breakthrough. He also said it was “good to be kind of back in the arena [and not] on the outside looking in,” a view that matches how close he came without ever really threatening the playoff.
The next U.S. Open will be at Pebble Beach, where the same question follows him: what changes when the first round stops putting him in chase mode? For Scheffler, the problem is not getting into contention late; it is starting the week with enough sharpness to keep the leaders from pulling away.
