Scheffler’s Riviera Struggles Reveal a Troubling Pattern—But the Cut-Making Streak Tells the Real Story

I’ve been around long enough to know that when the game’s best player starts using the word “battled” three weeks in a row, something’s worth paying attention to. And when that player—Scottie Scheffler, fresh off a season where he dominated like few have before him—has to hole a 7-foot par putt on Friday just to survive the weekend at a signature event, well, that’s when you put down your coffee and start asking questions.

Scheffler made the cut on the number at the Genesis Invitational this week, finishing 36 holes at even par (142) after Marco Penge’s blistering 64 set the 10-shot cushion aside. What might look like a routine survival story on the surface actually reveals something more complicated: the most consistent player on tour right now is running into genuine trouble early in tournaments.

Three Weeks, Three Slow Starts—That’s Not Coincidence

Let me walk you through what’s happened since the new year. At Phoenix, Scheffler opened with a 2-over 73 and had to scratch his way back into contention. At Pebble Beach, he started with a 72 and trailed by 13 shots before a magical 63-67 weekend nearly got him into a playoff. Now at Riviera, after a rain-delayed first round that was completed Friday morning, he’s posted a 74 and an even-par second nine.

In my 35 years covering this tour, I’ve learned that patterns matter. A slow start here, a missed fairway there—that’s golf. But three straight tournaments where the game’s most consistent player fails to break par in Round 1? That’s diagnostic. Something’s off, and Scheffler himself seems aware of it.

“I would not say anything in particular,” he said when asked what caused the sudden rash of falling so far behind. “I think in both of the last two, teeing off late is never the easiest and I’ve gotten off to slow starts.”

Now, I respect Scheffler’s measured approach—that’s his personality. But late tee times and cold winds aren’t new variables for a player of his caliber. I’ve caddied for Tour players in far worse conditions. What strikes me here is that he’s having to *battle* through the early rounds rather than simply execute, which was his signature through most of last season.

The Riviera Riddle

Here’s where it gets interesting. Scheffler has played Riviera five times before this week, and his best finish left him seven shots back from the lead. The other four times? Nine shots out. That’s a concerning pattern at a course where the field is loaded with talent and the rough is punishing enough to swallow golf balls whole.

When I asked myself why a player of Scheffler’s skill set would consistently underperform at one specific venue, I kept coming back to Riviera’s demands. It’s a course that rewards precision off the tee and from 150 yards in—exactly what Scheffler usually does better than anyone. Yet he’s missed fairways at an alarming rate this week, accounting for roughly half his drives in each of the past two rounds.

“This place and I have a weird relationship. I feel like I can play so well out here, and I just haven’t yet.”

That’s candid, and it matters. Some courses just don’t suit a player’s eye or temperament, and being honest about it is the first step toward solving it.

But Here’s What Actually Matters: The Streak Continues

While everyone’s rightfully focused on the slow starts and the Riviera struggles, let’s not lose sight of what Scheffler just extended: his cuts-made streak now stands at 68 consecutive tournaments dating back to August 2022. That’s the longest active streak on the PGA Tour, and it’s genuinely remarkable in an era where parity is higher than it’s been in decades.

What strikes me about this number is that it reveals something crucial about Scheffler’s character that transcends his current struggles. You don’t make 68 straight cuts—in an environment where signature events have 50-and-ties fields with minimal cushion—by being a fragile talent who crumbles under pressure. You do it by finding ways to salvage rounds when your best stuff isn’t there.

Friday morning at Riviera, down to his final putt, Scheffler showed exactly that. His Friday nine included four birdies and zero bogeys. That wasn’t dominant. That was resilient.

“It was nice to be able to hole a putt and get another two cracks at the course. I started the day not where I wanted to, but yeah, battled and it looks like I get another couple rounds to see what I can do.”

There’s that word again—”battled.” But notice what followed: he got his two more cracks.

What This Actually Signals

In my experience, when elite players go through patches like this, it’s usually correctable. It’s often mechanical—a swing thought that’s migrated, a setup change that crept in during the offseason, or simply a mental reset that’s needed after an unusually dominant stretch. Scheffler’s recent years have been so historically good that regression to merely excellent can feel like a crisis if you’re not careful about perspective.

The concerning part isn’t that he’s struggling at Riviera or starting slow. It’s that those struggles are forcing him to the brink rather than merely challenging him. That 7-foot par putt Friday wasn’t a test of his nerve—it was survival.

The encouraging part? He’s still here. Still making cuts. Still positioning himself for two more rounds to “see what I can do.” For a player of Scheffler’s pedigree, that’s often all it takes to remember why he’s the best in the world.