Scottie Scheffler found himself standing in disbelief.
On Sunday, at the seventh hole, his second shot from the bunker initially found the green but then pulled a notorious Shinnecock Hills maneuver, retracing its path back into the sand. This mishap resulted in a bogey for Scheffler, adding to a series of lost opportunities that turned what could have been a momentous 30th birthday and potential career Grand Slam on Father’s Day into a day of lingering regrets.
Much of Sunday’s anticipation centered on Scheffler and the potential for a remarkable surge as he aimed to catch up with Wyndham Clark. The day before, he seemed to have cracked the code of the course on the back nine, narrowing his deficit, which began as six strokes, even further. However, Scheffler ended the day at one over par, maintaining an even score for the tournament, stepping away in a tie for fourth place with J.T. Poston and Keith Mitchell, trailing Clark by four strokes, who triumphed for the second time at the U.S. Open in four years.
Reflecting on his performance, Scheffler remarked, “I believed I did enough for a solid round. It felt like countless good putts came close, teetering on the brink but ultimately refusing to fall into the hole.”
Enthusiastic spectators cheered for Scheffler, hoping each swing would find its target, while simultaneously wishing for Clark’s shots to find the sand traps. Their voices echoed with birthday cheers, yearning for a thrilling comeback and a historic moment.
But Scheffler’s struggles started on the first hole — when his second shot rolled off the green and his putt to save par missed — and continued on the seventh, when he lost the stroke he’d picked up with a birdie two holes prior. He moved back to 1 under with a birdie on the 10th, but he finished his round with a bogey and four consecutive pars.
So Scheffler’s bid for history became a secondary storyline to Sam Burns’ bid for a historic comeback. He wasn’t the one threatening, really, as Clark stumbled. This wasn’t as close a call as the U.S. Open in 2022, when he finished in a tie for second, one shot behind Matt Fitzpatrick, but it was winnable — especially when Clark started collapsing.
Instead, Scheffler was left wondering about his first round — an area where he has struggled recently — and his 72 from Thursday, as his bid for the career milestone was put on hold for at least one more year.
“At the end of the day, I was trying to move my way up the leaderboard,” Scheffler said. “I have belief that if Wyndham shot even par today, I believed that I could catch him. It’s just a matter of executing the shots.
“… I was close [Sunday], but not where it needed to be.”