Scheffler Fights at U.S. Open: 71 Reveals World No. 1's Mental Battle

OAKMONT, Pa. – Despite a round of 71 strokes (+1) in the second round of the U.S. Open, world number 1, Scottie Scheffler, expressed relief at having managed to limit the damage on a notoriously difficult course.

I feel like I fought really hard. It’s a challenge out there. I wasn’t putting the ball in the right places and I paid the price for it.
Scottie Scheffler

Scheffler, who finished the day with five bogeys and four birdies, acknowledged that the situation could have been worse. Friday’s round represented his sixth consecutive round over par at the U.S. Open, including the four rounds of the previous year at Pinehurst No. 2. Scheffler’s rollercoaster began with a birdie on the 10th hole. He stayed 1 under par for the next four holes, but a bogey on the 15th set him back. From there, he added bogeys on four of the next eight holes, although he also managed birdies on holes 2 and 4.

Mentally, this was the toughest day I’ve had to face. … Overall, I’m definitely not out of the tournament. Today, I think, with the way I was hitting, I easily could have gone home, but I fought pretty hard to stay in the competition.
Scottie Scheffler

Scheffler Fights at U.S. Open: 71 Reveals World No. 1's Mental Battle — El viernes marcó la sexta ronda consecutiva de Scottie Scheffler, número 1 del mundo, por encima del par en el U.S. Open.

Scheffler hit the characteristic bunkers of the course three times, including a tee shot on the 3rd hole. Normally calm, Scheffler hit his driver with frustration when the ball landed in the sand.

When you put the ball out of position here, you just have to try to get it back in play. That’s really all there is to it. Sometimes you can get lucky and get a good lie and maybe get to the green. But that wasn’t happening for me today. I decided to keep hitting into the rough for some reason.
Scottie Scheffler

For Scheffler, the key to finishing the day without falling further behind the lead was to maintain patience during a round that lasted more than 5 and a half hours.

There were moments today when you feel like you could give up, just because of how difficult the golf course is and how my swing feels. … Am I going to get angry about it, am I going to get frustrated, or am I just going to get the ball out and see what I can do from there? I feel like that’s what a lot of it was about today. … At the U.S. Open, I don’t think you’re ever out of the tournament. If I make two decent days, I could be in 25th or 30th place after today, and, as I said, I’m by no means out of the tournament.
Scottie Scheffler