Scottie Scheffler, Xander Schauffele and Rory McIlory were simultaneously wrecked by 1 U.S. Open hole and golf fans loved it
Jun 14, 2024; Pinehurst, North Carolina, USA; Scottie Scheffler reacts after a putt on the 13th hole during the second round of the U.S. Open golf tournament at Pinehurst No. 2. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports
Scottie Scheffler came into the U.S. Open as the unquestioned best golfer in the world. In the official golf world rankings, Xander Schauffele and Rory McIlory were right behind him at No. 2 and No. 3, respectively.
You might expect one of them to struggle every now and then, but not all three. You certainly don't expect all three to struggle with the same shot on the same hole.
U.S. Open leaderboard, live scores: See the latest results at the U.S. Open hub
Enter the U.S. Open's notoriously firm greens and brutal roughs. As the trio made their way through the second round on Friday, the No. 5 hole at Pinehurst caused all sorts of trouble as the three approached the green and it was glorious.
This is why we love the U.S. Open. Getting to watch the best in the world have to suffer the same consequences as your average duffer on the course is such a thrill. And as Scheffler, McIlroy and Schauffele each tried to get on the green from 50 feet out, not a single one could get their ball to stick near the flag.
You simply do not see this outside the U.S. Open.
Seeing Scottie and Xander fail with a wedge, Rory made sure to put his shot on the opposite side of the green rather than risk the ball rolling back to his feet. That helped him save par while Schauffele and Scheffler each whimpered away with a double bogey.
Scottie was asked about his group's odyssey around the No. 5 green afterwards and admitted it essentially all came down to luck:
I think that's part of the mystery of the kind of sandy areas. You get down there and it's kind of luck of the draw whether or not you have a shot. Preferably I would have loved to have hit like a little runner out of there, but I had a bush in my way to where I couldn't play the runner that I would have hoped to. Really all you're trying to do from there is get it up on to the green somewhere, and I felt like I took the best route I could think of at first, and just because it's so unpredictable. So yeah, just pretty challenging spot for your ball to end up in.
Golf fans, meanwhile, loved watching the trio struggle.
More Golf
Jena Sims did the perfect spin on the Man in Finance TikTok meme with Brooks Koepka at the U.S. Open
Golf fans clown Scottie Scheffler for his U.S. Open haircut thanks to a glorious hat tan
'That's absolutely gone': Collin Morikawa chip shows the cruelty of the U.S. Open greens
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Scottie Scheffler, Xander Schauffele and Rory McIlory were simultaneously wrecked by 1 U.S. Open hole and golf fans loved it