Scottie Scheffler will make his first attempt to complete the career Grand Slam at the US Open this week.
Shinnecock Hills is the venue for the 126th edition of the US Open, and Scheffler heads into the week as the favorite to win the tournament.
The 29-year-old world number one will turn 30 on Sunday, and there would be no better birthday present for him than a victory in his national championship.
However, Scottie Scheffler has been nowhere near his best this season.
His driving and iron play has been ever so slightly off, and he will definitely not be 100% confident in his ability to complete the career Grand Slam at the US Open this week.
Shinnecock Hills is a golf course that should suit the Dallas native down to the ground, on paper at least.
However, Scottie Scheffler looked far from convincing during his US Open practice round on Tuesday, shooting two-over par for nine holes.
The USGA have done Scottie Scheffler a big favor ahead of the US Open
Scheffler has admitted himself that he hasn’t been entirely happy with his form this year.
His usual precision has been absent from his game, although it’s worth pointing out that he has still won a tournament this season and has seven top-5 finishes to his name in 12 events.
Oh, he is sitting at the top of the FedEx Cup standings as well. So his form clearly has not been as bad as some people are making out.
Scheffler is certainly not heading into the US Open under the radar. He’s gunning to complete the career Grand Slam, so there is obviously a media circus surrounding him at Shinnecock.
However, it’s fair to say that he is not being as heavily tipped to win this week as he was at the majors last year.
And with that in mind, the USGA have done him a big favor this week by putting him in a group alongside J.J. Spaun and amateur, Mason Howell.
Both are extremely unassuming characters and that should suit Scheffler perfectly.
Less fanfare will be ideal for Scottie Scheffler at the US Open
Had the USGA gone all in and paired Scheffler with Rory McIlroy, Bryson DeChambeau, Jon Rahm or anyone of that ilk, there would have been so much attention on him at Shinnecock Hills during the first two rounds.
Instead, the 29-year-old’s group will be a relatively calm one, with less fanfare attached to it.
There was always going to be huge attention on Scheffler this week, whatever group he was drawn to play in.
However, the USGA have definitely done him a favor by not putting him with megastar names.
They did that at Pinehurst No.2 back in 2024 when Scheffler was paired alongside Rory McIlroy and Xander Schauffele, and he came ever so close to missing the cut.
Now it’s down to the world number one to produce his best golf at Shinnecock Hills and remind everyone exactly why he has been such a dominant force in the game over the past few years.
