Scottie Scheffler recovered from a slow start at Riviera to shoot a second-round 68, moving inside the cut-line at the Genesis Invitational.
The world number one had opened with five-over-par for his first 10 holes, continuing a pattern of sluggish starts that have marked his 2026 PGA Tour campaign so far.
Advertisement
In fact, it was the worst start he’d ever made to a PGA Tour event through his opening 10 holes. But as we’ve seen before, Scheffler found his rhythm as the week went on.
He played 26 holes in five-under on Friday to get back to level par for the tournament. Given his track record, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him string together a couple of low rounds and climb into contention by Sunday.
Despite his ability to recover, Scheffler may have some concern over his recent habit of slow starts. He’s been able to fight back before, but consistently playing catch-up is not a sustainable strategy over a long season.
Scottie Scheffler Offers Perspective on Early-Round Struggles at Riviera
Scheffler has now started three straight PGA Tour events with rounds of 72 or higher, and Riviera was probably the worst of them.
Advertisement
After his round, he was asked if there’s a specific reason behind his slow starts in 2026.
Scheffler didn’t pinpoint anything specific but did mention one factor that might be contributing to his recent first-round issues.
He said: “I think in both the last two, teeing off late is never the easiest and I’ve gotten off to slow starts.
“Like teeing off yesterday when we did was pretty challenging around this golf course. I mean, the wind and with how soft the greens were and how bumpy they can get along with wind and they’re fast, if it was last week it would have been easier because you can kind of at least try to jam it in.”
Advertisement
“And yesterday was definitely a day none of mine were going in. It was nice to get out this morning on some fresh greens and hole some putts and do what I needed to do in order to get to the weekend.”
Scottie Scheffler’s explanation for first round woes after day two at Riviera
Photo by Alex Goodlett/Getty Images
Scheffler has now started three consecutive tournaments on the PGA Tour with rounds of 72 or worse.
His opening effort at Riviera was probably the roughest of the bunch.
After his round, he was asked if there’s any specific reason behind his slow starts this year.
“I mean, I would not say anything in particular,” Scheffler said, before offering a possible explanation for his recent struggles to open tournaments. He pointed to late tee times as a factor in both of his last two events.
Advertisement
“Like teeing off yesterday when we did was pretty challenging around this golf course,” he added. “I mean, the wind and with how soft the greens were and how bumpy they can get along with wind and they’re fast, if it was last week it would have been easier because you can kind of at least try to jam it in.”
Scheffler noted that putting conditions made things even trickier. “Here it’s like you can’t — you don’t want to have another three, three and a half feet coming back,” he explained. “You kind of got to get up there by the hole and it’s a little bit of a c———— sometimes whether or not it’s going to go in.”
The world number one appreciated starting Friday on fresher greens: “And yesterday was definitely a day none of mine were going in. It was nice to get out this morning on some fresh greens and hole some putts and do what I needed to do in order to get to the weekend.”
Scheffler adds more layers to impressive consistency record after Friday fightback at Genesis
Scheffler deserves plenty of praise for grinding out another cut made — his 68th straight — after such an ugly start.
Advertisement
Nobody would have blamed him if he’d packed it in early, especially given how things started on Thursday. But that resilience is exactly why he holds onto the top spot in the rankings.
Just 74 more cuts without a miss would see him tie Tiger Woods’ record run of 142 consecutive made cuts — though that still feels like an impossible feat for anyone outside Woods himself.
What will encourage Scheffler most is how he managed his game when both swing and putter weren’t cooperating early on. He still found a way through.
The same could be said about Rory McIlroy or Jon Rahm when they’re playing well, but Scheffler separates himself by finding ways even when nothing feels right. He grinds until something clicks again — often turning poor starts into strong finishes inside the top ten just through persistence alone.
Advertisement
Read more:
Read the full article here
