Scottie Scheffler is, without question, the best golfer in the world today and has set his sights on becoming one of the greatest golfers of all time.
His current stretch of play is being compared to that of Tiger Woods in the early 2000s when he was world No. 1 for 281 consecutive weeks. As of this article, Scheffler has been at the top for 138 straight weeks since May 2023.
| Golfers | Weeks at No. 1 | Consecutive Record |
| Tiger Woods | 683 | 281 & 264 |
| Greg Norman | 331 | 60 |
| Scottie Scheffler | 151 | 138 |
| Dustin Johnson | 135 | 62 |
| Rory McIlroy | 122 | 32 |
Despite the success Scheffler has enjoyed over the past three years, there have been moments where he has not looked like himself—especially at the start of the golf season.
When Scheffler is in the field, expectations are high and victories are anticipated. When he doesn’t win, it’s often assumed that he isn’t playing at his best. At the beginning of the 2024 season, he didn’t secure a victory until his seventh tournament of the year. In 2025, it wasn’t until his ninth start that he found the winner’s circle.
Scheffler began the 2026 season with a decisive victory at the American Express, which put fear into his opponents. It seemed that in 2026, he wouldn’t need any “warm-up” events, and it appeared that no one could stop him.
However, we may have found Scheffler’s kryptonite: his first-round performances. Thursdays in 2026 have not been kind to him.
Scheffler’s Pebble Beach struggles cost him $2.5M
The AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am is a unique event where half the field plays Pebble Beach on Thursday and the other half plays Spyglass Hill. The players switch courses on Friday before playing the final two rounds at Pebble Beach to determine the winner.
Scheffler had the advantage of starting on Pebble Beach for Day 1, a position that should have been beneficial. Players starting on Pebble Beach on Thursday had an average score of -3.725, yet Scheffler posted an even-par 72, nearly four shots off the average. Meanwhile, the field at Spyglass Hill was more than a shot and a half behind at -2.175.
On Day 2, Scheffler started on the back nine at Spyglass Hill. He began with three pars but then bogeyed his fourth hole (the 13th). By this point, he was +1 for the tournament, 10 shots behind the leader. After 22 holes of play, Scheffler found his rhythm, finishing the day with five birdies and an eagle in his final 14 holes. The average score at Spyglass on Friday was slightly better at -2.225 while Pebble Beach played nearly a shot worse compared to Thursday at -2.9.
By Sunday, Scheffler was eight shots behind leader Akshay Bhatia—a daunting gap but not impossible for Scottie. He was on fire to start the day, 7-under through the first seven holes before bogeying the eighth. He finished with three eagles, six birdies, six pars and three bogeys. When his round ended, he was the clubhouse leader with only one player remaining on the course ahead of him.
Ultimately, Scheffler finished two shots behind Collin Morikawa, tied for fourth.
What if Scheffler had played better on Thursday? Could he have won the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am or at least taken it to a playoff? Regardless, Thursday’s struggles kept him from competing for the $3.6-million prize on Sunday.
| Position | Golfer | Earners |
| 1 | Collin Morikawa | $3,600,000 |
| T4 | Scottie Scheffler | $877,500 |
Scheffler lost $1.3M at the Waste Management Phoenix Open
After winning the American Express the week before, Scottie appeared unstoppable and was the heavy favorite to win the Waste Management Phoenix Open.
However, he was far from his best on Thursday in Scottsdale, posting a 2-over 73 with five bogeys, one double bogey and five birdies. The tough rough and poor around-the-green play cost him several strokes. By the end of the day, he found himself near the bottom of the leaderboard at risk of missing the cut—a calamity he hadn’t experienced since August 2022.
On Friday, Scheffler began his comeback, firing a 6-under 65 to make the cut by just one shot. Despite the effort, he was still eight shots off the lead. He followed it up with a 4-under 67 on Saturday, putting him in striking distance.
Then came “Scottie Sunday.” Knowing he needed to go low to have a chance, he shot a 7-under 64 and was sitting as the clubhouse leader. He was tied for the lead on the leaderboard but it wasn’t enough. Chris Gotterup also shot a 7-under 64 and won in a playoff over Hideki Matsuyama.
What if Scottie hadn’t made those two poor chip shots on Thursday? What if he hadn’t double-bogeyed the 11th? There are many “what-ifs” from Thursday but had he played just one shot better, he could have been in the playoff with Gotterup and Matsuyama. In the end, those Thursday mistakes cost him $1.3 million in earnings.
| Position | Golfer | Earners |
| 1 | Chris Gotterup | $1,728,000 |
| T3 | Scottie Scheffler | $439,680 |
How will Scheffler fare at Riviera?
All eyes will be on Scheffler as he has another shot to get off to a better start this week for the Genesis Invitational at Riviera.
He tees off at 11:37 a.m. local time alongside Xander Schauffele and Si Woo Kim.
Top Photo Caption: Scheffler is hoping to get off to a better start after struggling out of the gate the last two weeks. (GETTY IMAGES/Matthew Huang)
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