Scheffler's putting woes continue in Round 3

For the first time all season, it doesn't appear Scottie Scheffler will be finishing inside the top 20 at a PGA TOUR event.

The World No. 1 made the U.S. Open cut on the number before shooting a 1-over 71 round Saturday to leave him in a tie for 53rd place with the lead groups yet to hit the course at Pinehurst.

Scheffler entered the event coming off a win at Memorial despite shooting over par in the final round. Add the three over-par scores at Pinehurst, and it's the first time in his professional career he's done that four rounds in a row.

Taking advantage of good opportunities and scoring has been a major issue for Scheffler this week, something he highlighted after the round.

"Another frustrating day," Scheffler said. "Today was a day where I thought I played a lot better than my score. I'm having a lot of trouble reading these greens. I had a lot of putts today where I felt like I hit it really good. I looked up, and they were not going the way I thought they were going to go."

Scheffler ended his day losing 1.84 shots to the field on the greens this week. That ranks last among players who made the cut. Those putting issues have made it difficult to make birdies for a man who leads the PGA TOUR in birdie average. His four birdies on the week are two fewer than leader Ludvig Aberg made in the opening round alone.

It's been a hectic stretch for Scheffler between his wife recently giving birth to his firstborn, the drama of the PGA Championship, and winning last week. The 27-year-old admitted this week's performance may force him to change how he approaches his schedule going forward.

"I think in terms of prep for a week that I know is going to be as tough as this, I'm leaning going forward to maybe not playing the week before," Scheffler said. "I think going into the major championships, especially the ones we know are going to be really challenging, it may be in my best interest to not play the week before."

Scheffler won't have to wait long to rebound from a tough week at Pinehurst as he's in the field at next week's signature event, the Travellers Championship, just outside Hartford, Connecticut.