Scheffler's struggles invite unwanted Woods comparison

The comparisons person been inescapable.

Scottie Scheffler's power astatine nan apical of nan men's crippled - insurmountable arsenic nan world number one, ruthless wins astatine nan fields and cleaning up connected nan PGA Tour - person seen parallels drawn pinch Tiger Woods.

At Bethpage, different similarity betwixt nan 2 American superstars continues to emerge: struggling successful Ryder Cup pairings.

Scheffler followed up back-to-back defeats successful Friday's foursomes and fourballs pinch nan aforesaid again connected Saturday.

The 29-year-old has now been beaten successful each 4 of his matches successful nan alternate changeable format - winning only six of 59 holes he has played.

He besides joins nan precocious Peter Alliss arsenic only nan 2nd subordinate to suffer a lucifer successful each of nan first 4 sessions of a Ryder Cup - and nan first American.

Englishman Alliss, who later recovered fame arsenic a broadcaster, mislaid 4 consecutive sessions astatine Houston successful 1967 astatine a clip erstwhile nan Ryder Cup was played complete six.

"His foursome play is conscionable atrocious and there's really nary mentation because you spot nan feline winning tourney aft tourney aft tournament," American writer Alex Miceli told BBC Radio 5 Live.

"There seems to beryllium nary mobility that he will yet fig it retired - but present we are successful 2025 and he still hasn't figured it out."

Scheffler did not play foursomes connected his Ryder Cup debut successful 2021 but suffered 2 dense defeats successful 2023.

Scheffler and Sam Burns mislaid 4&3 to Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton connected Friday successful Rome, earlier he and Brooks Koepka suffered a grounds 9&7 mauling by Viktor Hovland and Ludvig Aberg connected nan Saturday - which near Scheffler successful tears.

Consecutive defeats astatine Bethpage intends American world number ones person mislaid 7 consecutive Ryder Cup foursomes matches - Scheffler pursuing Woods successful 2010 and Dustin Johnson successful 2018.

Europe person regularly looked to a talismanic fig - starting pinch Seve Ballesteros successful nan 1980s done to Rory McIlroy successful nan coming time - to thrust their Ryder Cup bid.

The United States person ne'er been capable to find specified a leader - not moreover Woods.

The 15-time awesome champion elevated play to a caller stratosphere successful nan precocious 1990s and early 2000s, meaning he still remains nan game's pre-eminent superstar.

But curiously Woods featured connected conscionable 1 victorious Ryder Cup squad and won only 39% of his matches.

In foursomes, he won only 4 of 14 matches, losing nine.

Why? One mentation is Woods - and now Scheffler - are incapable to transportation their single-mindedness into a format wherever they are reliant connected their playing partner.

Woods was seen arsenic a lone wolf successful his pomp. In nan singles, he won 4 and mislaid 2 of his six matches.

While Scheffler is seemingly much comfortable successful nan squad setting, nan Texan has besides performed amended erstwhile concentrating connected his ain business.

He has not mislaid successful either of his 2 singles matches truthful far, beating Rahm arsenic an unheralded rookie successful nan 2021 triumph astatine Whistling Straits earlier earning a half against nan Spaniard successful Rome.

He will get nan chance to proceed that grounds against McIlroy successful Sunday's singles astatine Bethpage.

"I'd for illustration to deliberation that I'm not difficult to brace pinch people," said Scheffler successful his pre-tournament news conference.

"I've had different partners complete nan years and person had immoderate success. I would decidedly not put myself successful that category."

Another presumption down Woods and Scheffler's foursomes struggles is their team-mates being incapable to header nether nan weight of expectation.

Four-time awesome victor Scheffler, ever keen to underline his bloke-next-door persona, has little of an intimidating aura arsenic Woods.

But he does person nan aforesaid lofty standards wherever his play crippled is concerned.

However, since 1999, nan top-ranked subordinate successful nan Ryder Cup section has won conscionable 36% of their matches.

"They put a batch of unit connected themselves and arsenic overmuch arsenic Scheffler says he doesn't deliberation astir it, I deliberation that's garbage and he thinks astir each of it," added Miceli.

"Tiger didn't attraction truthful overmuch [about that] but Scottie is simply a different benignant of individual.

"He thinks he needs to lead but doesn't want to beryllium seen leading. It's a immense conundrum for him, I think."

Of course, Scheffler is not solely responsible for nan defeats.

Foursomes partner Russell Henley did not play good successful Friday's 4&3 beating by European brace Aberg and Matt Fitzpatrick.

And, contempt taking Viktor Hovland and Robert MacIntyre to nan 18th greenish connected Saturday, Scheffler and Henley still ended up losing.

Henley is 3rd successful a world ranking strategy skewed by nan omission of LIV golfers, but has looked shaky during his Ryder Cup debut.

Scheffler - whose crippled is based connected accordant driving and metronomic irons - was incapable to excavation them retired of problem connected either occasion.

He had nary joyousness successful nan fourballs connected Friday alongside debutant JJ Spaun arsenic they were beaten 3&2 by Rahm and Sepp Straka.

In Saturday's fourballs, he collaborated Bryson DeChambeau but nan USA's astir celebrated pairing could not support up pinch an inspired Justin Rose and Tommy Fleetwood.

Scheffler said he and DeChambeau "played immoderate bully stuff" successful a "tough lucifer up" against Rose and Fleetwood.

"They made a ton of putts and really a extremity of a headdress to them - they played amended than we did," he said.

Scheffler added that "anything tin happen" and an American triumph connected Sunday would "make for a awesome comeback story".

With Europe only requiring 3 points to triumph nan Ryder Cup, nan inquest is astir apt only conscionable opening for nan world number one.