BROOKLINE: Top-ranked Masters champion Scottie Scheffler leaped into contention on Friday at the US Open, giving the American a chance at some rare major achievements.
Scheffler, who could match Tiger Woods as the only world number one to claim a US Open crown, fired a three-under par 67 to stand on three-under 137 after 36 holes at The Country Club.
Scheffler only won his first US PGA Tour title in February at the Phoenix Open but since then has captured March’s Arnold Palmer Invitational and WGC Match-Play events and the green jacket at Augusta National in April.
If Scheffler can manage the Masters and US Open double in the same year, he will become only the seventh to accomplish the feat, the first since countryman Jordan Spieth in 2015.
The only drawback might be an end to Scheffler’s days of feeling like an afterthought compared to multiple major winners such as Rory McIlroy, Justin Thomas, Collin Morikawa or Woods.
“I feel like I’m kind of an under-the-radar person. I don’t really feel like there’s much chatter going around with me,” Scheffler said. “Rory won last week. Tiger was at the PGA.
“I’ve been number one in the world for a while now and it doesn’t really feel like it, so I kind of like just under the radar. I can show up and do my thing and then go home and rest.
“I kind of like flying under the radar. For me, it makes things a lot simpler.”
The most recent player to capture any two majors in a season was Brooks Koepka, who won the US Open and PGA Championship in 2018. He likes Scheffler’s chances to complete the feat.
“It’s definitely difficult, but he is a hell of a player, so I wouldn’t be surprised,” Koepka said.
Scheffler says a US Open leaderboard with several unheralded players is proof that how well you play is more important than any reputation from what you have done.
“If you’re playing your best, you’re going to be there at the top.
“No matter how good your career has been in the past or if you’re just getting started, if you’re playing good golf, you’re going to get rewarded for it on a test like this.”
Just as Scheffler might be ready to send a signal to the world about his status, he feels like he needs to look for signs from his own frustrating moments.
“Sometimes I just need to kind of get woken up a little bit. Using frustration for good versus getting angry is really helpful,” he said.
“When I can use that frustration instead of getting angry and banging my club, I’m trying to use that anger to react towards that next shot and bring that focus up a little bit.”
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