FARMINGDALE, N.Y. — He is the greatest player of his generation. He’s a three-time major winner with the ability to take over an entire tournament with ease. He’s drawing, and earning, comparisons to Tiger Woods. And after two full matches on the first day of the Ryder Cup, Scottie Scheffler has only won three more holes for the United States than you have.
Scheffler has been flat-out miserable in this Ryder Cup, and he’s a significant part of the reason why the United States now trails 5.5-2.5 after Day 1. If he could bring the mojo he wields like a battle axe in weekly PGA Tour events, the United States would be comfortably in this tournament and Europe would be wondering how to shut down the world’s finest player.
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Instead, Scheffler has been all too mortal and deeply uncomfortable during both the fourball and foursome sessions of Friday. He hasn’t paired well with either Russell Henley or J.J. Spaun, and more importantly, he’s been thoroughly outplayed by Jon Rahm. Where Rahm chased flagsticks, Scheffler has missed targets; where Rahm has hunted birdies, Scheffler has struggled to do anything more than hang onto par like a life preserver in increasingly stormy seas.
Scheffler’s first decent shot came a full 30 holes into his Ryder Cup, on the 15th hole, when he drained a long birdie that brought the gallery to life. And of course, right after that, Rahm simply buried a 20-foot putt right on top of Scheffler’s head, denying the U.S. a crucial point. (Unrelated aside: This is why it’s such a shame that Rahm jumped ship and joined LIV; watching him and Scheffler go head to head at every significant tournament on the PGA Tour should have been the defining battle of this era.)
Scottie Scheffler reacts to a putt on the 11th hole during the Friday afternoon four-ball matches. Scheffler went 0-2 on the day. (Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
(Michael Reaves/PGA of America via Getty Images)
Scheffler’s week-in, week-out play earned him a spot on the team, but his prior Ryder Cup play had been the very definition of average. He’s 2-4-3 in nine matches over the 2021, 2023 and 2025 Ryder Cups, including a 0-3 record in foursomes play.
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So with that stretch in the books, and with zero margin for error left, is it time for captain Keegan Bradley to do the unthinkable? Is it time to — it feels weird to type this, but this is where we are — bench the great Scottie Scheffler?
If this were literally any other player on earth besides Scheffler, there wouldn’t even be a discussion. Put him on the pine for a session, let him get his head back together, run him back out with some fresh legs and a refreshed mindset.
But there are two problems with benching Scottie Scheffler, and the first is that he’s Scottie freaking Scheffler. When he taps into whatever mystical force he’s channeled to dominate the golf world, he’s literally untouchable. He can go nuclear at any moment, and you don’t want to risk missing out on that kind of hot streak.
Why? Because of a simple question: Who do you start in his place? You can count on one hand the number of U.S. players who are playing decently, and still have enough fingers left over to give Rory McIlroy and Europe a proper salute.
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Justin Thomas and Cam Young found something in the afternoon. Bryson DeChambeau is bringing some needed fire to the U.S. locker room. Patrick Cantlay, for all the grief he’s received, is the U.S. team’s best player right now. And … that’s pretty much it. A whole lot of potential and promise, very little delivered.
So, yes, the United States will need to keep Scottie Scheffler out there. And maybe, just maybe, he can remember that he’s Scottie freaking Scheffler before the United States finds itself in a hole too deep to escape.