“You’ve got another guy playing like Scottie Scheffler”: Insider answers why the world #1 is underperforming
Scottie Scheffler, the number one ranking New Jersey-based golfer has not been having the greatest year in 2025, especially in comparison to how the previous year fared for him. By this time last year, Scottie Scheffler had won three times, including a Major. He had finished no worse than 17th. Out of his nine starts, only one was outside the top 10, and only three were outside the top five. However, by comparison, he's having a shockingly disappointing season.
This has prompted concern among his fans. What happened to the dominant player who enjoyed a historic season? Why isn't he playing quite as well as he did in 2024? Golf insider Carl Paulson has offered some insight into this.
Paulson says that the world number one is just fine:
"The big question is, what's wrong with Scottie? He's played seven times, he's made seven cuts, he's made $4.35 million. He's finished ninth, 25th, third, 11th, 20th, second, and fourth... Fourth in the FedEx Cup, and people are asking what's wrong with Scottie."
He continued:
You wanna know what's wrong with Scottie? You have another guy who's playing like Scottie played last year, and Scottie's still just a little bit off after having to take some time with his hand. Scottie's just fine, everybody. Take a damn chill pill."
The only thing that's preventing Scheffler from playing one of the best seasons again in 2025 is Rory McIlroy. This time, it's McIlroy who's won three events, including the Masters Tournament.
Scheffler hasn't won, and he hasn't been pipped by McIlroy head-to-head each time, but McIlroy is outperforming him, which makes what would otherwise be a decent season look worse by comparison. Scheffler's previous year's performance does not help the situation.
But despite the "struggles" this year and McIlroy's utter brilliance, Scottie Scheffler maintains a fair lead in the OWGR. He's still number one, though his lead over McIlroy has shrunk to around three points.
Scottie Scheffler explains viral Masters moment
It's tradition for the previous Masters champion, adorned in their own green jacket, to place the green jacket for the current tournament on whoever won it. Jon Rahm placed it on Scottie Scheffler last year, and Scheffler got to put it on Rory McIlroy this year.
It was a little awkward since the sleeves proved difficult, but once it was on, Scheffler disappeared entirely. He was absent at the moment, but Scheffler explained it at the RBC Heritage.
He said via Golf.com:
“In that moment, like it was such an emotional day for [McIlroy], I kind of just tried to stay out of the way and basically get the jacket on without embarrassing him or myself."
The American added:
“I got to watch the whole celebration. I watched the finish. It was really cool for me to be able to see because I have — I don’t have the understanding of what it’s like to be asked about the career Grand Slam, but I have a small understanding of what it’s like to be asked, hey, you accomplished this, but you haven’t accomplished that. It can be very taxing on people sometimes.”
Scottie Scheffler has two Majors so far, but he's only won the Masters twice. He still needs the other three to win the career grand slam like McIlroy just did.