SOUTHAMPTON, N.Y. — Golf is a funny game. We all know it. You don’t need a reminder from this writer. But how about when he says it?
“Golf is such a funny game. A good example this week, if I finish second this week, it’s almost like, Hey, you failed in your first chance to win the career Grand Slam. It’s kind of, like, is finishing second a failure?”
That was Scottie Scheffler, of course. He said it four days ago, seated inside a white tent at Shinnecock Hills, squarely in front of a camera, beaming out a specific Scottie brand of perspective to the world. But does he feel the same way right now?
Probably not. We’re in the throes of battle now, made clear by that scream and fist-pump he unleashed on the 14th hole. He thought the tournament was slipping away, but chipped in for a miraculous birdie. You can bet he’s stewing about the 4-footer he missed on 18 — it would
only be human — which would have brought him one stroke closer to the top of the leaderboard. Instead, he’s six shots back. A few guys have a puncher’s chance, but he has the longest arms.
The point of this exercise is that moods change as context changes. It was 336 days ago when he was asked for the first time about the career Grand Slam, just hours after winning the Open Championship. He laughed it off and reminded us, the people who really, really care about these things, that he is one of the few who doesn’t.
On Tuesday, it felt like much the same as he delivered that line about second place and failure — quintessential Scheffler, reminding us to embrace the journey, to stop and smell the roses. But he followed it in a curious way, saying second is not always that bad… “But man, does it frickin’ hurt at the same time.”
The point where it can frickin’ hurt is officially here, rising from a low heat early in the week to an eerie boil. From 49th on Thursday night to 11th on Friday night to 2nd on Saturday. Scheffler may seem ultimately destined for the grand slam, but a number of people have gotten this close. It seems to be a coin-flip whether destiny becomes reality.
Scheffler’s new to it, technically speaking. This is his first try at the final leg. He knows he will have more. But he also knows how many second-place finishes Phil Mickelson has at the U.S. Open. He may not know that 13 players have three legs of the four, but he does know one of them is his Dallas buddy Jordan Spieth, who has been chasing it for nearly a decade. Every year the quest takes on different meaning, altered. Scheffler had the honor of putting the green jacket on Rory McIlroy at the 2025 Masters, the tears of relief following McIlroy’s own decade-long pursuit still drying on his freckly cheeks.
“I think it’s appropriate to understand what’s at stake,” Scheffler said, admitting in the most coy way that he’s finally thought about what could be an impossibly epic Scottie Day. The best golfer in the world will rise Sunday morning to the new reality that his 20s are officially behind him. Sunday is his 30th birthday. He’ll spend a few hours with his young children, for it is also Father’s Day and there are many hours before the final pairing.
Once the emotions of all that settles, a telling moment will arrive. It might come on the front nine, the 7th hole, the tempestuous par-3 11th or, if we’re lucky, the closing stretch. It might last 30 seconds, 30 minutes or maybe even longer. He’ll have a reason to think the thing that everyone else is thinking right now: the slam is possible.
The reason why?
Golf is a funny game.
