PINEHURST, N.C. — Superman struggled.
The entire scene looked weird.
Scottie Scheffler was visibly frustrated.
Yes, unaffected, unflappable Scottie Scheffler looked completely out of sorts.
The same Scottie Scheffler who was wrongly arrested on his way into his second-round tee time in the PGA Championship last month, spent the morning in a jail cell and then went out and shot 66 after he was released.
The same Scottie Scheffler who’s separated himself so dramatically from the pack with his No. 1 world ranking that his fellow top-ranked players found themselves genuflecting at the mention of his name this week — the same way players used to bow to Tiger Woods.
Yet there was Scheffler on Friday around lunchtime, looking like he was about to miss the cut in the 124th U.S. Open at Pinehurst after winning five of his previous eight tournaments entering the week.
Scheffler’s worst finish in the previous eight events was his eighth-place result at last month’s PGA — post arrest.
When he finished his Friday round, it looked like Scheffler was going to miss his first cut since August 2022, spanning 38 made cuts and seven victories.
seventh green during the second round of the 124th U.S. Open
at Pinehurst No. 2 on June 13, 2024. Getty Images
At the time he followed his blah 1-over 71 in Thursday’s first round with a 4-over 74 in the second round Friday to stand at 5-over through 36 holes, Scheffler was two shots outside the cut line, which stood at 3-over.
The top 60 scores and ties among the 156 players in the field make the cut with no 10-shot rule.
Scheffler was in a tie for 90th place at the time his round was finished and it didn’t look good for a Saturday tee time.
Then, as players from the afternoon wave of groupings dealt with the 95-degree heat and the baked-out course struggled, the cutline moved to 5-over. And, by dinnertime, Scheffler, who surely had his car packed for the ride to the airport, was back in for the weekend.
“I don’t think 5-over is going to get me into the weekend, but I’m proud of how I fought today,’’ Scheffler said after his round. “This golf course can be unpredictable at times, and maybe it got the better of me the last couple days. It was definitely a grind.’’
Scheffler was foiled mostly by his putter on Friday, failing to make a single birdie in the round. It was the first time in his 18 career major championships as a professional that Scheffler has failed to make at least one birdie in a round.
In Scheffler’s 36 holes, he has managed just the two birdies he made on Thursday, when he also had three bogeys.
On Friday, Scheffler, who started on No. 10, parred his first five holes and then bogeyed the par-3 15th and the par-3 17th.
Then, on his back nine, he took double bogey on the par-5 fifth hole, and that looked like it was going to be the hole that derailed whatever chance he had to salvage the day — and perhaps the week.
Scheffler hit driver and then 3-wood and missed the green, with his ball coming to rest in the sandy native area with a dodgy lie.
“I had that unfortunate deal on No. 5, which probably on any other golf course if I hit those two shots — driver, 3-wood into a green on a par-5 — and probably have a pretty good look at birdie … I’m not walking off with a 7,’’ he said.
What made Scheffler’s struggle so stunning is the fact he came to Pinehurst on such a hot streak, coming off a victory at Jack Nicklaus’ Memorial Tournament on Sunday.
But his preparation was somewhat abbreviated. Scheffler arrived to Pinehurst for the first time on Monday afternoon from Ohio and did some chipping and putting. He played the back nine on Tuesday and played the front nine on Wednesday.
Interestingly, he opted not to visit Pinehurst before tournament week to familiarize himself in advance like many top players do.
In fairness, Scheffler has had a lot going on. His wife Meredith was deep in her pregnancy and had the couple’s child in mid-May. Then there was that pesky arrest.
Scheffler didn’t play Pinehurst in 2014, the last time the U.S. Open was played on the No. 2 Course, but he spoke glowingly before the tournament about the course.
“I think the golf course is going to play pretty tough this week,’’ he said, “but it’ll be a fun test.’’
It hasn’t looked like a lot of out there for him the past two days.
Indeed, Superman struggled.
And it was a weird look.
