After waiting game, Scottie Scheffler makes U.S. Open cut on number

PINEHURST, N.C. – World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler sweated the U.S. Open cut line on Friday, finally advancing to the weekend on the number, zero strokes to spare. It marked a startling reality but a testament to golf’s unpredictability.

Scheffler hadn't missed a cut since the 2022 FedEx St. Jude Championship (22 months ago), but after failing to make a birdie Friday at Pinehurst No. 2, the streak was very much in jeopardy. Through two rounds at the historic North Carolina venue, he stood at 5-over 145. As he signed for a second-round 74 early Friday afternoon, the likeliest cut line was 4-over, per Data Golf. He needed to defy the statistical odds to earn two more rounds at the U.S. Open after entering the week as a runaway favorite.

The odds eventually fell in his favor, as the cut moved to 5-over later in the afternoon. In all, 74 players made the cut at 5-over or better (the top 60 and ties make the 36-hole cut at the U.S. Open).

"This golf course can be unpredictable at times, and maybe they got the better of me the last couple days," Scheffler said after his second round, indicating that he didn't expect to make the cut.

The cut-line drama marked a borderline shocking development for the far-and-away world No. 1, but it shows the week-to-week uncertainty of golf – even for a player amidst a historically dominant stretch of ball-striking. Prior to competition, Scheffler was listed at +280 to win the U.S. Open, while his odds to miss the cut were +800. These numbers might seem lofty, but they’re a testament to his top-tier form; he arrived at Pinehurst with five wins in his last eight starts, including a victory at last week’s Memorial Tournament presented by Workday.

Scheffler has struggled around Pinehurst, though. After an opening-round, 1-over 71, Friday marked his first birdie-less round on TOUR since the 2022 Charles Schwab Challenge (Round 4). Starting the second round on No. 10, he turned in 2-over 37 – making bogeys on both back-nine par 3s, Nos. 15 and 17. His second nine featured eight pars and a costly double bogey at the par-5 fifth.

At the fifth, Scheffler found the fairway off the tee with just 267 yards to the hole, but his second shot caught the wiregrass left of the green and he had a short-game escapade from there. His third shot failed to reach the putting surface and rolled back into the wiregrass, and he played his fourth shot over the green. He chipped to 15 feet and two-putted for a seven.

Scheffler’s tee shot at his final hole, the par-3 ninth, caught a greenside bunker, but he blasted to 4 feet and converted the par putt to maintain reasonable hopes of playing the weekend.

At his time of finish, the stats suggested Scheffler would miss the cut at the U.S. Open. But due in part to increasingly firm afternoon conditions, the numbers broke his way, and now he'll have a puncher's chance on the weekend in the Carolina Sandhills.

"I don't think 5 over is going to get me to the weekend, but I'm proud of how I fought today," Scheffler said. "I gave myself a good chance."

In this instance, he's happy to be wrong.