U.S. Open 2024: Scottie Scheffler records a career worst—that's also pretty amazing

PINEHURST, NORTH CAROLINA - JUNE 15: Scottie Scheffler of The United States plays his tee shot on the second hole during the third round of the 2024 U.S. Open on the No.2 Course at The Pinehurst Resort on June 15, 2024 in Pinehurst, North Carolina. (Photo by David Cannon/Getty Images)

And just like that, Scottie Scheffler is in a slump.

OK, so that's a bit of a stretch, but the World No. 1 shot a Saturday 71 at Pinehurst No. 2 to notch a career-worst streak. For the first time as a professional, Scheffler has shot (gasp!) four consecutive rounds over par.

Of course, for context, three of those rounds are at a U.S. Open. Where, despite his struggles, Scheffler still made the cut. And the fourth round was the final round at last week's Memorial Tournament, where Muirfield Village also played particularly difficult that Sunday. It should also be noted that Scheffler's 74 that day was still good enough for him to notch his fifth win of 2024.

"I'm having a lot of trouble reading these greens," Scheffler told reporters after. "I had a lot of putts today where I felt like I hit it really good. I looked up and they were not going the way I thought they were going to go."

"Really my swing today felt a lot better than it did yesterday," Scheffler continued. "I felt like the last 27 holes I've played, I've hit it really nice, but I just haven't been able to hit it quite close enough, which is difficult around this course. I haven't been able to hole the putts the last few today."

Then there's the fact that it took Scheffler this long to have such a cold stretch. This is his 120th start as a pro on the PGA Tour, and as British gambling guru Ben Coley pointed out, that's a LOT more starts than a few of Scheffler's top contemporaries like Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm and Jordan Spieth.

And what about the man Scheffler has been drawing comparisons to during this historic stretch, Tiger Woods? By our count it happened for the 15-time major champ in only his 41st PGA Tour start as a pro in 1998. And—perhaps, not surprisingly—it also happened at a U.S. Open after starting at the Memorial.

That year Woods also shot an opening 76 at the Western Open in his next start to bring his over-par streak to six(!). But as golf fans are well aware, things turned out OK for Tiger. And we're not worried about Scheffler, either.

MORE GOLF DIGEST U.S. OPEN COVERAGE

U.S. Open 101: Answering all your frequently asked questions

How to watch the 2024 U.S. Open

Power Rankings: Every player in the U.S. Open field, ranked

The 13 best bets to win at Pinehurst

‘A New Day’: USGA president Fred Perpall brings dynamic personality and drive to golf

Video: Every hole at Pinehurst No. 2

Is the USGA going to set up Pinehurst extra hard because of recent low scores in majors?

Tiger is playing Pinehurst on a special exemption. Here’s what it is and why he got it

What would you shoot at the U.S. Open? Our new tool will tell you

U.S. Open anchor sites are about far more than golf

The U.S. Open champion who died in a jail cell

The USGA is about to play its 1,000th championship. The best 9 stats from the first 999