Scottie Scheffler’s putting cost him a chance of winning the Wanamaker Trophy at Aronimink.
It really was just that simple. Scheffler gained over a stroke on the field on approach and off the tee over the tournament, as his swing looked back to its very best. But he left birdie chances on the table, and gave up shots inexplicably due to his poor putting.
Scheffler lost strokes to the field on the greens at the PGA Championship. He was ranked in the top 10 worst putters on Saturday as he fell out of true contention. He missed a number of short putts which would have kept him in touch with the lead.
This used to be commonplace for Scheffler, who was the best tee-to-green player in golf, but one of the worst putters on the PGA Tour a few years ago. Once he fixed this issue, Scheffler became unstoppable, so it’s concerning to see his putting problems show up once again.
After the PGA Championship, the world number one said if he has any concerns about his play on the greens.
Scottie Scheffler said he’s not concerned about his putting despite PGA Championship performance
Despite his play at Aronimink, Scheffler downplayed any concerns he may have with his putting. He said that last week was just part of the ebbs and flows of golf, and he expects to bounce back with a good showing with his putter soon.
Speaking before the CJ Cup Byron Nelson, he said, “I guess just putting specific, like I said talking about Tom, you kind of just go through ebbs and flows, and putting is something, especially when you’re putting in wind and on greens without much slope, there’s going to be variance and how things are going.
“Overall, I feel like I’m in a good spot. I’ve actually putted the best that I have in my career so far this year and just kind of get a reset, get on some new greens, work on my reads, make sure I’m checking all my fundamentals.
“I actually went through something similar last year after the Scottish Open. I had a tough week on the greens and showed up at The Open Championship. I talked to Phil, my putting coach, and our discussion was basically like, I just want to make sure I’m starting the ball on line, and I want to make sure I’m lined up where I think I’m lined up.
“That’s what I did, and I went on to have a great putting week and a great tournament. I think golf is riding the ebbs and flows and continue to work on the things that I feel like I need to work on and just continue to go do those things.”
How Scottie Scheffler’s putting in 2026 compares to previous seasons
According to strokes gained data, Scheffler’s claim that his putting has never been better is untrue. Last year was not only the best season of his career, but also the best he’s ever played on the greens.
This season, Scheffler is gaining 0.48 strokes to the field with his putting, down from 0.65 last year. But this has still been the second-best putting season of his professional career so far.
Currently on the PGA Tour, Scheffler ranks 29th in one-putt percentage, 34th in three-putt avoidance, and 121st in putting inside 10 feet.
There’s clearly some work to do to get back to the level of last year, but these aren’t actually too far off from last season’s numbers. Once his iron play and driver are back to their best, expect some of these putts to go down and regular service to be resumed.
