PGA Tour label Scottie Scheffler ‘pitiful’ after PGA Championship struggles

Scottie Scheffler will begin the final round of the 2026 PGA Championship five shots back but few will be ruling the world number one out just yet.

But it would appear the PGA Tour itself doesn’t believe their poster-boy will be able to get the job done at Aronimink this evening.

Getty

Scheffler’s biggest final-round comeback victory came at The 2024 Players Championship when he overcame a five-shot deficit on the Sunday to win.

He will look to call upon those memories today to race through the pack and defend the Wanamaker Trophy.

While his performance in Philadelphia this week has been far from his best, the bunched leaderboard means the second major of the year remains wide open.

And Scheffler, who will be out early on Sunday, will hope to pile the pressure on leader Alex Smalley and the superstar pack chasing him with a string of quickfire birdies.

The four-time major champion will no doubt also have a huge crowd cheering him on but it appears his employers aren’t giving him much of a chance.

In an official PGA Tour article published on Saturday night, the leading golf organisation labelled elements of Scheffler’s game this week as ‘pitiful’.

Following a poor putting display on moving day, the article took aim at Scheffler’s ‘maddening’ play while also suggesting his chances of glory are as good as over.

Given everything the PGA Tour and Scheffler have done for each other over the last five years or so, the tone of the piece is certainly surprising and a little odd.

Scheffler’s round of 71 on Saturday left him at one-under-par for the week and he will need to be at his very best on the final day to mount a challenge.

But he believes he is playing and putting well and just needs a bit more luck on the greens.

Getty

Scheffler said: “Hit a lot of good putts that are kind of right around the edge. It’s kind of like a little bit of a dice roll at times when you have so much slope and so much wind.

“So my thoughts on today is, if I continue to do what I’m doing and hole a few more putts, then I think I’ll be in a good spot when tomorrow ends.

“I won’t think much about this round past today. Like I said, I hit a lot of good shots, felt like I hit some good putts.

“It’s a challenging golf course, and like I said, there’s a lot of slope on the greens. 

“The winds were quite heavy when we were out there this afternoon, and it’s just tough.”

Scheffler only has one win so far this season, breezing to glory at The American Express in January.

Getty

He has had three straight runner-up finishes leading into this week, including at the Masters last month.

The 29-year-old, who won the PGA Championship and The Open last summer, will have the chance to claim Grand Slam glory next month when the US Open heads to Shinnecock Hills.

He will warm up for the third major of the year at the PGA Tour’s next Signature Event at the Memorial Tournament at Muirfield Village from June 4.