Scottie Scheffler, World No. 1 and Still Under the Radar, Contending at U.S. Open

Four wins and a green jacket this year, yet Scheffler still came to Brookline with little fanfare. And that's just how he likes it.

With a Friday 67 at The Country Club, Scottie Scheffler is firmly in the mix for a second major this year.  :: John David Mercer/USA Today

BROOKLINE, Mass. — It hardly seems possible, but Scottie Scheffler’s impressive year has somehow been overshadowed by so many other things happening in golf.

When he won the Masters, it was his fourth victory in an eight-week span as he rose to No. 1 in the world.

But Tiger Woods returned for the first time since his February 2021 car crash, stealing a good bit of the attention, even though Scheffler’s solid victory stamped him as one of the game’s best at age 25.

Then Scheffler missed the cut at the PGA Championship, one of his rare off weeks, lost in a playoff the following week at the Colonial, watched all the LIV Golf drama unfold and came to the U.S. Open with very little fanfare.

Not that he has a problem with it.

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“I feel like I’m kind of an under-the-radar person," Scheffler said Friday after a second-round 67 put him firmly in contention for another major title. "I don’t really feel like there’s much chatter going around with me. Rory [McIlroy] won last week. Tiger was at the PGA.

“I’ve been No. 1 in the world for a while now, and it doesn’t really feel like it, so I kind of like just (being) under the radar. I can show up and do my thing and go home and rest."

For a brief time during the second round at The Country Club, Scheffler appeared in danger of going home early.

He made consecutive bogeys at the 5th and 6th holes to fall to 2 over par, heading the wrong direction as it related to the 36-hole cut. But Scheffler rebounded with a birdie at the 8th hole, then another at the 13th to get back to even par.

Then he got a break playing the par-5 14th.

“I hit a great drive down the middle and then had kind of a funny lie where it was sitting on a downslope and it make that shot into the green much harder,’’ Scheffler said of the 273-yard approach. “I caught it a hair thin and hit the tree.

“Fortunately it didn’t hit the tree and come backwards, it kind of just feel down in front of it. Had a good lie and hit a good chip and it went in.’’

The shot from 55 yards meant an eagle and getting to 2 under. Scheffler then added another birdie at the 16th to get to 3 under par, where he finished and completed 36 holes at 137.

He wasn’t leading, but he was very much in contention. And given the difficulty of The Country Club, Scheffler knew he would not be too far from the lead.

“I knew I was swinging at it well," Scheffler said. “I hit it really good yesterday, I hit it really good today. Outside of a few putts going into the hole versus barely around it, today would have been a really special round, but it was still a really good one."

More U.S. Open Coverage From Morning Read:

> At a Crossroads, Is Bryson DeChambeau Going in the Right Direction?
> What to Watch in Round 3: Big Shots, Big Names (Or Not) and a Full Day
> Phil Mickelson Shoots 73 Friday, Ending a Chaotic Couple Weeks
> Who Is This Guy? Nick Hardy’s Career Progression Has Been Slow, But He’s In Contention at Brookline
> Little-Known Guys Are Taking a Starring Role In This U.S. Open
> U.S. Open Day 2: Live Scores, Updates
> Rory McIlroy Is One Shot Back With the Mindset That It Feels Like the First Time
> Sergio Garcia Leads Large LIV Contingent Missing the Cut at U.S. Open

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