Scottie Scheffler looked nothing like the unshakable world No. 1 at Riviera. His hat sat crooked, and his temper flared at the 2026 Genesis Invitational. For someone known for machine-like consistency, the scene felt jarring. Looking at his recent starts, whispers are growing about his first-round form and visible frustration. To give it clarity, a leading sports psychologist has offered a blunt assessment of Scheffler’s fury.
“I would hope as a competitor it pisses you off,” said sports psychologist Dr. Bhrett McCabe. “There is no competitive advantage to my opponent seeing me get angry. There is none. I’m not gonna have an unnecessary roughness penalty.”
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Scheffler started 2026 by winning his season debut at The American Express. At that point, it looked like he started the new season from where he left off in 2025. He closed with 66 for a four‑shot win in a strong field. But since then, he has had trouble with the first round.
Although he finished the 2026 WM Phoenix Open at T3 and the 2026 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro‑Am at T4, he started with rounds of 73 and 72, respectively. Thus, he continued a run of eight straight top‑5s and no finishes outside the top 10 since last year’s Players Championship.
This pattern of slow start affected Scottie Scheffler yet again at the 2026 Genesis Invitational. He started with a 74, a round many would say is his worst, given his current standards. And this led to his meltdown. Fans could see him visibly boiling. He dropped his putter after hole 7 and then took a stroll to hole 8 to cool down, just like he used to do when he was a kid.
20th July 2025 Royal Portrush Golf Club, Portrush, County Antrim, Northern Ireland The Open Golf Championship Final Round Scottie Scheffler USA hits his tee shot on the par three 6th hole PUBLICATIONxNOTxINxUK ActionPlus12815538 DavidxBlunsden
According to his coach, Randy Smith, Scheffler used to compete with anyone he found on the course when he was a kid. While he won a lot of matches even at that age, he used to run away after a loss. And it would take him just 15 minutes to be back for another challenge.
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After doing the same at Riviera, he was back. However, his frustration boiled after hole 8, which was a double bogey. He went into a shouting spree and slammed a porta‑potty door hard.
This frustration, as Dr. Bhrett McCabe pointed out, would give his opponents a competitive edge. Dr. McCabe has worked with many elites, including Jon Rahm and Billy Horschel, so he knows what he is saying. But since Scottie Scheffler has the innate ability to clear his mind of a loss in just 15 minutes, he could get back on track.
From the edge of missing the cut, he moved 21 positions up by the end of the round to finish T42 after Round 2. Thus, he made the cut yet again after an abysmal start. Birdies on holes 9, 10, 11, and 17, and a clutch 7‑footer for par on 18 allowed him to make the cut.
The thing with Scottie Scheffler is that he is always focused on the game. All he wants is to play his best and win, without caring about numbers.
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Scottie Scheffler doesn’t care about records
The 20x PGA Tour winner now holds the record for most consecutive top 10 finishes. The last time he was outside the top 10 was at the 2025 Players Championship, where he finished T20. This means he has made it to the top 10 a record 18 times. He had already achieved the record when he had 17 consecutive top 10s ahead of the 2026 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.
Even Tiger Woods doesn’t have such a long streak to his name. Woods has a streak of 8 consecutive top 10s from the 1999 U.S. Open to the 2001 Masters. Thus, the 2026 American Express winner has already doubled his streak.
Yet, when asked about the record, Scheffler said, “I mean, I think 17 straight top-10s is a good result from a lot of consistent play. Outside of that, I could not care any less.”
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Scheffler views golf success as fleeting fulfillment. Even golf veteran Keith Mitchell pointed out that he doesn’t care what number he finishes at, but it needs to be better than where he was before that shot. This trait of his makes him better than most other golf professionals.
Scottie Scheffler may shrug at streaks and records. However, it’s this nonchalance and indifference to numbers that keep his fire pointed in the right direction. So, the same edge that fuels his frustration after a bad start repeatedly drags him back from the brink. And as Dr. Bhrett McCabe suggests, that anger might be less a flaw and more a competitive necessity.
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