When it comes to the PGA Tour, world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler has been the player everyone has been chasing for the past four years. However, this season, he has been somewhat struggling by his standards, and golf analyst Brandel Chamblee had his say on that.

Scheffler began the season strongly, winning the American Express in January. Since then, it has been a series of runner-up and top-20 finishes. Chamblee, giving his take on Scheffler, said, 

“His game is off, and so he's provided opportunity to the best players in the world. He's still the man to beat, but he is no longer the man that can't be beat.”

Scheffler’s dip in form has resulted in other top contenders securing titles. World No.2 Rory McIlroy completed his career Grand Slam as Scheffler finished runner-up at Augusta.

Similarly, a week later at Hilton Head, Matt Fitzpatrick secured the RBC Heritage title as Scheffler lost in a playoff against him. 

With a second-place finish at the Cadillac Championship, the 29-year-old finished runner-up in three straight events.

By this time last season, Scheffler had already lifted three titles and then went on to add three more in the remainder of the season.

This season, Scheffler has been consistent as usual but has been unable to cross the finish line.

That said, a golf journalist has pointed to areas where Scheffler has looked different from previous years.

Shipnuck Pinpoints the Flaw: Mediocre Rounds Costing Scheffler Titles

Speaking on the Dan on Golf podcast, Shipnuck pointed out the flaw in Scheffler’s performances that has been heavily affecting his title hopes. 

“He’s turning 69s into 72s, and that’s the difference between finishing second and third and winning. He is just having one mediocre round per tournament, and the standard beneath him is so high that even Scottie can’t afford to do that at the biggest tournaments with the best players and the best fields,” he said.

Moreover, with the win at Augusta, McIlroy has in some way separated himself from Scheffler. This could be on the mind of the top performer, and Shipnuck threw light on that. 

“I’m not saying Rory’s gotten in Scottie’s head, but I think these guys are so hyper competitive, and I think that’s part of his frustration. Scottie had owned the sport, and now Rory’s kind of wrestled it back a little bit,” Shipnuck added.

However, quite a lot of events are left to be played this season. A win at the U.S. Open would lead to Scheffler completing the Career Grand Slam, and that would completely turn his season around.

What do you think is the reason behind Scheffler’s lack of titles this season? Let us know in the comments.

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Written by

Avishek Sarkar

Edited by

Rudra Dubey