With a chance at a career Grand Slam, Scottie Scheffler wasn’t at his best on Sunday at the US Open.
Roaming the hallowed grounds at Shinnecock Hills with an army of fans behind him, Scheffler had a chance to become just the seventh player in men’s professional golf history to capture all four major championships. He would also join Tiger Woods, Ben Hogan and Gene Sarazen in finishing it during their first attempt.
But the world No. 1 never got into full swing on Long Island, going down six shots on Sunday in the final pair. Despite Wyndham Clark doing exactly what Scheffler needed to have a chance in the final round, he made just two birdies and shot a 1-over 71 to finish in a tie for fourth.
Clark shot a 3-over 73, exactly the kind of score many were predicting when hoping for an epic comeback from Scheffler for his first US Open trophy. He bogeyed three of his first seven holes, but that was enough for Scheffler to take two shots at the time. Instead, the charge came from one of his best friends, Sam Burns, who landed a punch on Clark several times during the round.
This was the perfect US Open for Scheffler to win
I watched every hole Scheffler played this week, which was easy to do on the main stream or coverage of the featured groups he was a part of in the first three rounds.
It’s often been the story of 2026 for him, but it’s almost unimaginable to think how ordinary he looked for most of the week while still being there to win. Scheffler’s B game is clearly enough to win some weeks and none of his tougher counterparts were a factor. There are few other players who have the ability to match or beat Scheffler at their best. But Jon Rahm missed the cut. Bryson DeChambeau missed the cut. Rory McIlroy split late on Saturday. Matt Fitzpatrick faded hard at the weekend. Cameron Young was never a factor all week.
You could argue that Clark’s game belongs in that picture at his best, but he certainly wasn’t at that level Saturday or Sunday. Clark hit just 20 greens on the weekend and he looked genuinely shaken at times on Sunday as the crowd jeered him and tried to push a sluggish Scheffler.
And Shinnecock Hills was made for it
The greens were finally strong and, although they were still quite slow, they were getting faster. On a leaderboard that mostly featured players who excelled at putting and scrambling, Scheffler was the one in the mix best equipped to attack the pins and give himself consistent birdie looks. Scheffler showed that starting on the eighth hole, hitting approaches to 22 feet, 15 feet, 16 feet, 14 feet, 18 feet, 19 feet, 30 feet and 14 feet on his next eight holes — a difficult stretch on the course — while most of the field hung.
But he played those holes even par. Clark continued to get up and down from all over the place and come up with a major shot every time he needed one on his way to a second US Open at 4-under.
I can’t help but think of all of Scheffler’s putts that burned the edges or lacked the sure pace to find the bottom of the cup. And I can’t help but let pessimism creep in and think about the future.
How big a chance will Scheffler have?
Let me be clear: I’m a huge Scheffler fan and have been since 2019 when he was tearing up the Korn Ferry Tour.
Looking for a new, young player to start chasing, Scheffler became my favorite. With some bias, I still think Scheffler will win double-digit majors (he has four right now) and easily capture the career Grand Slam. But I also know how hard golf is.
We just saw McIlroy finally win a career Grand Slam, 11 dramatic and heartbreaking attempts later. And he was 25 when he had his first look. Scheffler is 30. He could easily have another 10 years of ultra-competitive play left, or he could start to struggle with his game like many other players once he reaches his peak. Take Jordan Spieth, for example. He had his first look at a career Grand Slam even at age 25 in 2018 at the PGA Championship.
Eight years later, he is still searching.
At that point, Spieth, while not as dominant or consistent as Scheffler, had been in the top 10 in the world for about five straight years and looked like a lock for a career Grand Slam and more majors. In reality, he hasn’t been anywhere close to winning the PGA since finishing T12 and T3 in his first two chances. He is now ranked 49thth in the world and rarely finds himself in contention.
Simply put, success in pro golf can be short-lived. While I think we’re still in for many more years of a dominant Scheffler, it also wouldn’t shock anyone if some of these struggles or minor annoyances continue and we’re still talking a year from now about how he hasn’t won since the 2026 American Express.
If that’s the case, we’ll surely think back to this US Open at Shinnecock Hills, where he was clean on the leaderboard with a crowd that will never be so strong in his corner – and an eventual champion who might have completely broken if he applied a little more pressure.
Do you think Scheffler will finish the Grand Slam career? Let me know in the comments.
Top Photo Caption: Scheffler struggled Sunday at the US Open. (GETTY IMAGES/Christian Petersen)
