FARMINGDALE, N.Y. — If you’re trying to pick the worst part of the American collapse at this Ryder Cup, where the deficit is seven points going to Sunday, there are no shortage of candidates.
Captain Keegan Bradley’s pairings are on the list, as is a course setup that hasn’t helped the home team and the Americans’ utter futility on the greens compared to the Europeans. And if you’re looking at the bleak individual records, one figure jumps off the page:
Scottie Scheffler, 0–4.
Yes, the world No. 1 is winless so far at Bethpage Black, having lost twice in foursomes and four-balls. Perhaps not everyone predicted the Americans would win this week, but no one could have foreseen such a bad week from Scheffler.
That begs this discussion among our SI Golf panel:
Fact or Fiction: Scottie Scheffler's Ryder Cup Performance Is a Stain on His 2025 Season
Bob Harig, SI Golf Senior Writer: FICTION. It will bother him immensely. And it is shocking that he’s struggled as he has this week. But it won’t take away from his six wins, his two majors, his strengthening of his world ranking. For reference: nobody was taking anything away from Tiger Woods in 2002 and 2006, when he had two-major seasons and didn’t particularly shine at the Ryder Cup in U.S. defeats.
John Pluym, SI Golf Managing Editor: FACT. Scheffler has been a disaster. It doesn’t matter how he performs in Sunday’s singles. When you’re the world No. 1, then you better play like it. He hasn’t. The team formats don’t fit his game. I wrote about his overall record when I answered Friday’s question. Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm and Justin Rose have played this weekend like they’re the top-ranked players in the world. And that’s why they have a six-point lead. I expect the Euros to dominate the singles on Sunday and put the finishing touches on one of the greatest performances in Ryder Cup history.
Jeff Ritter, SI Golf Managing Director: FACT. It stings this week, but I’d like to see how he fares in singles against Rory McIlroy before handing out a final verdict. In the end, a two-major season is historic and will live in history. This Ryder Cup performance will be a footnote—a fly in the ointment—and that’s unfortunate given how great Scheffler has been for long stretches this year.
Michael Rosenberg, SI Senior Writer: FICTION. A stain? A few months after Tiger Woods’s first Masters win, he went 1–3–1 in a Ryder Cup that the U.S. lost. Scheffler has not been himself this week, but Europe is kicking everybody’s butt, not just his. On a very fundamental level, golf is a game of failure. Everyone has lousy weeks. Only a few players in history have achieved what Scheffler did this season.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Scottie Scheffler’s Ryder Cup Performance Is a Stain on His 2025 Season.
