What Is Causing Scottie Scheffler's Slow Starts in 2026?

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Scotty Scheffler's Challenging Start at the Tournament

Despite a challenging start in a recent golf tournament, with Scotty Scheffler going 5 over par, his history suggests a potential for strong recovery. Known for significant comebacks, as seen at the Waste Management Open, Scheffler has demonstrated the ability to make significant improvements during a tournament. However, his recent performance may place him too far behind to realistically claim victory, despite his status as a top golfer.

At one stage, Scheffler fell 6 over par, signalling a tough round, but managed to finish the last stretch of holes at 3 under, slightly mitigating the damage. So far, in his current round, he has made a birdie, showing signs of potential recovery. Despite his skill, the initial round was universally poor, negatively affecting every aspect of his game, and leaving him well behind the leader.

Typically, Scheffler's performance dips involving putting and approach play, but this time, losses were recorded in strokes gained on the approach, putting, around the green, and off the tee, with an unusual -1.41 strokes tee to green. Although currently 8 strokes behind, a volatile course could still offer him the opportunity to make up ground with a strong round of 4 to 5 under par.

Regardless of his struggles, odds makers still place faith in Scheffler, offering odds around 40 to 1 for him to win the tournament, reflective of his ability to turn around difficult starts. However, the likelihood of Scheffler finishing around T37 and just making the cut seems more probable as the tournament progresses.