Struggling Scheffler faces unwanted Woods comparison

The comparisons were unavoidable.

Similarity can be drawn between Tiger Woods and Scottie Scheffler’s dominance at the top of the men’s game, which was insurmountable with her dominance as the world no.1 and her relentless victories at the majors and her PGA Tour success.

Another similarity between the two American superstars began to emerge at Bethpage: struggling in Ryder Cup pairings.

Scheffler has now lost all three of his matches in the alternate shot format, winning only three of the 41 holes he has played since losing in the opening foursomes on Friday.

Scheffler is only the third top-ranked player to lose twice on the first day of a Ryder Cup.

American journalist Alex Miceli claimed that his foursome play is “absolutely atrocious” and that there is no justification for it.

“There is no denying that he will figure it out,” he said, “but now that we are in 2025 and still haven’t figured it out.”

Scheffler, 29, made two significant defeats in 2023 despite not having foursomes on his Ryder Cup debut in 2021.

Before being mauled by Viktor Hovland and Ludvig berg on Saturday, Scheffler and Sam Burns suffered a record 9& 7 loss to Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton on Friday in Rome, which brought Scheffler to tears.

Europe has frequently sought out a talisman as a driver for their Ryder Cup bid, starting with Seve Ballesteros in the 1980s and Rory McIlroy in the present day.

Even Woods, not the United States, has never been able to locate that leader.

In the late 1990s and early 2000s, the 15-time major champion elevated golf to a new level, ensuring that he continues to be the game’s preeminent superstar.

Woods, however, won only 39% of his matches and was only a member of one triumphant Ryder Cup team.

He lost nine of his final foursomes, losing only four of them.

Why ? One theory is that Woods and Scheffler are unable to turn their unyielding behavior into a game in which they rely on their playing partner.

In all his pomp, Woods appeared to be a lone wolf. He won four of his six matches in the singles and lost two.

In either of his two singles matches so far, he has won against the Spaniard in Rome and defeated Rahm as an unheralded rookie in the 2021 victory over Whistling Straits.

In his pre-tournament press conference, Scheffler stated, “I’d like to think that I’m not difficult to pair with people.”

“I’ve worked with a few different partners over the years and had some success.” I would never fit into that category, in my opinion.

Another theory that Woods and Scheffler’s quartet struggles is that their team-mates can’t cope with expectation.

Scheffler, a four-time major winner who is always trying to highlight his bloke-next-door persona, has a less intimidating demeanor than Woods.

He does, however, share the same lofty standards as him when it comes to golf.

However, only 38% of the Ryder Cup field’s matches have been won by the top-ranked player since 1999.

They put a lot of pressure on themselves, and Scheffler claims that he doesn’t think about it because he thinks about it all the time, according to Miceli.

Scottie is a different kind of person than Tiger, who didn’t care that much.

Scheffler is not merely to blame for the quartet’s defeats, of course.

His partner, Russell Henley, did not appear to be much better than Aberg and Matt Fitzpatrick did in Friday’s 4&amp, 3 loss.

Henley appeared shaky on his Ryder Cup debut despite being fourth in a world ranking system that was influenced by LIV golfers’ omissions.

Even Scheffler, whose game relies heavily on consistent driving and metronomic irons, was unable to save them.

Former European Ryder Cup player Oliver Wilson, who is analysing the Bethpage action for BBC Radio 5 Live, claimed that Scheffler and Henley “undoubtedly failed to fire, but the European performance was perfect.”

They “made the Americans earn nothing,” they claimed, and they were unable to produce the goods.

The Americans “had a little sultry spell at the end,” according to the statement. “They had a little bit of life coming, but it just wasn’t enough, and it was far too late.”

After that, Scheffler expressed his gratitude for how his team performed “some good things.”

“We simply didn’t hole enough putts early.” There were some chances. He continued, “I believe the putts simply didn’t fall.”

With their 3&2 defeats by Rahm and Sepp Straka on Friday afternoon, Scheffler was unable to make amends in the fourballs along with debutant JJ Spaun.

Scheffler once more placed his failures on the putter, which is his weakest skill, despite rallying with a few late birdies.

In the Saturday foursomes, US captain Keegan Bradley reaffirms Scheffler’s status as a “great spirit” while his long-time friend Henley has the opportunity to come out on top.