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Golf Monthly
Golf Monthly
Sport
Paul Higham

The 4 Big Reasons Why History Is Against Scottie Scheffler Winning The US Open

Scottie Scheffler speaks to the media ahead of the US Open.

He's as short priced as anyone since Tiger Woods to win the US Open with the bookmakers - but there are four big reasons why Scottie Scheffler will find it tough to triumph at Oakmont.

The World No.1 has won three of his last four starts including the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow, so he's the obvious favorite heading to Oakmont for the third Major of the year.

Scheffler unsurprisingly appears in our expert betting picks for the US Open as a result, but will history work against him?

Here are four big reasons why despite being the best golfer on the planet Scheffler may not win the US Open.

Winning back-to-back Majors is tough

Winning consecutive Majors is tough - they all come so close together these days and there's so much effort that goes into winning one and then elation when the job's done that it's hard to rebound right away.

It takes special players in special form to go back-to-back, with Jordan Spieth the last to achieve it in his special 2015 when he won The Masters and then the US Open - back when the PGA was held in August.

There's been 39 Majors held since then with no player managing to win two in a row - even when Xander Schauffele was dominating last year he was T7 at the US Open in between his PGA and Open triumphs.

Rory McIlroy did it in 2014 when he won The Open and then the PGA, which is the same combo Padraig Harrington won in 2008 and Tiger Woods in 2006, but it's such a difficult task.

Reigning PGA Championship winners' US Open form

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Since the switch in dates of the PGA Championship in 2019, heading into the US Open as the holder of the Wanamaker Trophy hasn't been a good sign.

As stated, Schauffele went close last year but not as close as Brooks Koepka who only just came up short in 2019 when he was totally dominant in the Majors.

Overall though it's been slim pickings for PGA champs at the US Open.

PGA champions at the US Open

  • 2019 Brooks Koepka: 2nd (Pebble Beach)
  • 2020 Collin Morikawa: MC (Winged Foot)
  • 2021 Phil Mickelson: T62 (Torrey Pines)
  • 2022 Justin Thomas: T37 (The Country Club)
  • 2023 Brooks Koepka: T17 (Los Angeles Country Club)
  • 2024 Xander Schauffele: T7 (Pinehurst No. 2)

Winning the PGA & US Open in the same year is rare

Considering that in recent times the PGA Championship has been set up similar to the US Open it's a bit surprising to see how rare it is for one player to win both in the same year.

In fact, since the PGA became a strokeplay event in 1958, only three players have won that and the US Open in the same year.

Jack Nickalus was the first in 1980, followed by Tiger Woods during his epic 2000 and then Brooks Koepka doing his best Tiger impression in 2018.

Scheffler will need to carve out a pretty rare piece of golfing history if he is to follow suit.

The World No.1 curse

(Image credit: Getty Images)

As World No.1 Scheffler is recognized as the best player in the world, but the best player in the world doesn't always win the Major does he?

Tiger would've won even more if that was the case, but he is the only sitting World No.1 to win the US Open while top of the rankings - doing so three times in 2000 at Pebble Beach, 2002 at Bethpage and Torrey Pines in 2008.

Scheffler has been camped out at World No.1 for a few years now, having been top of the tree at the last three US Opens where he's finished T2, 3, T41.

If he can make if fourth time lucky here he'll join an exclusive club of two alongside Tiger, but it's a select group of one right now for a reason.

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