Scottie Scheffler's first-round struggles prove capability of world's No. 1 golfer -- despite lack of wins

Scheffler leads PGA Tour in overall scoring average, though he ranks 116th in Round 1 this season

Slow starts have hindered Scottie Scheffler early in the 2026 PGA Tour season. You know it. He knows it. The whole golf world knows it. Of course, "slow" and "hindered" are relative when it comes to what the world No. 1 is capable of accomplishing. 

Scheffler looked like a mid-handicapper for 50% of the Genesis Invitational yet still finished T12 alongside Jordan Spieth, a player who completed his best tournament finish since June 2025. This is not a drive-by on Spieth; it is an illustration that Scheffler's performances are all about perspective.

Scheffler went to bed Thursday evening without another name below his on the leaderboard. He played his first 10 holes of the tournament in 5 over and was forced to make an 8-foot par putt on his 36th hole just to see hole No. 37 in a tournament where no one misses the cut. And still, he somehow threatened to extend his top 10 streak to 19 in a row ... though he did ultimately fall short, ending the longest run on the PGA Tour.

Perspective!

Scheffler won in his season debut at the American Express, becoming the third player under the age of 30 to notch 20 PGA Tour victories and four major championships. The other two? Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus. Scheffler finished one stroke outside of a playoff at the WM Phoenix Open after opening with a 73 that put him 10 strokes behind his playing partner and eventual winner, Chris Gotterup.