MEDINAH, IL — Scottie Scheffler isn't as bad representing the United States in team golf as his record suggests.
But the record is bad. Or at least way worse than anybody would expect from the world's No. 1 golfer. So much so that Scheffler, after answering a few different questions from reporters trying to dissect what the issue could be, finally felt compelled to remind everyone that bad in Scheffler's case isn't the same as any other golfer.
"My singles match play record is pretty darn good, if you actually look at it," Scheffler said Tuesday, Sept. 22, when he met with reporters at Medinah Country Club outside Chicago ahead of the 2026 Presidents Cup.
But figuring out why the PGA Tour's most dominant golfer since Tiger Woods hasn't yet translated
that success to team golf is a question that perplexes even Scheffler at this point.
Scheffler's performance at the Presidents Cup – and what golfer U.S. team captain Brandt Snedeker pairs him with for the event's foursomes and fourball sessions – will be heavily scrutinized when the best American golfers face the top international golfers from outside Europe beginning Thursday, Sept. 24.
Scheffler even wondered aloud Tuesday whether it's simply about "trying too hard" in these events, with emotions running higher while representing your country and teammates.
"Definitely for me, I think just trying less would be really important," Scheffler said. "It's just one of those things that's a lot easier said than done."
Scottie Scheffler record in Ryder Cup, Presidents Cup
Scheffler's results in three previous Ryder Cup appearances and two prior President Cups are gory but layered with nuance. He's 3-6-3 overall in Ryder Cup matches and just 3-5-1 in Presidents Cup matches. He's also unbeaten in singles matches at the Ryder Cup (2-0-1) and winless in Presidents Cup singles matches (0-2).
He was 2-1 playing with Russell Henley at the 2024 Presidents Cup, and then 0-2 with him at the Ryder Cup last year. Scheffler is also 0-3-1 combined when partnered with good friend, Sam Burns, at the Ryder Cup and President Cup.
Scheffler referred to the "flukiness" that is inherent to playing in an alternate shot or best ball format. That's the best explanation his partners cite, too.
"It is surprising because he's so good," Henley said. "But it's also like just part of it with match play. I don't know what Tiger's record was in match play, but I would imagine he was probably (a) tough pair with because he's so – such a world star."
"You look at the best players throughout history that have played in these events, it's always been a challenge to kind of match them up," added Snedeker. "I think there's an inherent kind of – not fear for the guy they're playing with, but a feeling of I'm letting him down. He's the best player in the world. He's so good at everything; no matter what I do isn't going to be good enough. So trying to find someone who can handle that and be themselves and not try to be someone else is super important."
Snedeker emphasized he doesn't want Scheffler to see this as a "burden," that it's only possible for him to score five of the 15 points the U.S. will need to capture the Presidents Cup once again. Though Scheffler would not disclose what golfer he will play with on Thursday, Burns indicated he'd like another crack playing with Scheffler and hinted he would be playing with a golfer whose name starts with an 'S.'
"It's been frustrating the times we have played together, and we feel like we've played really well and ultimately not won," Burns said.
Scheffler's most memorable Presidents Cup moment might offer a clue. Two years later, he refers to it as, "the Tom Kim thing."
Kim hit a long birdie putt for the International team at the 2024 Presidents Cup in Montreal and celebrated loudly and emphatically in front of Scheffler, who was setting up for his own putt. When Scheffler sank his own putt to halve the hole, he turned to his friend and frequent playing partner in the Dallas area, and mockingly shouted, "What was that?"
"It was just like, 'Be quiet, Tom,' " Scheffler recalled on Tuesday. "... It was the same thing I would have done at home."
What happened next is perhaps more relevant to this week's proceedings. Scheffler didn't lose another hole the rest of the match.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Can US team find Scottie Scheffler a perfect match at Presidents Cup?
