Scottie Scheffler has been searching for a win since the American Express in January 2026. Fresh off a draining T4 finish at the U.S. Open, Scheffler looked set to end that drought at the Travelers Championship after rounds of 64, 60, and 67. But a missed birdie putt in a playoff against Viktor Hovland left him a runner-up, just over $2 million richer, and searching for answers. Speaking with the Golf Channel’s Smylie Kaufman, Scheffler expressed frustration over the loss.

“I mean, I played solid over the course of four days. There’s obviously some shots that I’d like back, but overall it was a good solid week. Obviously, a little bit disappointed with the finish, but overall I feel like my game’s in a good spot.”

The disappointment is understandable. Scheffler’s missed birdie putt during the playoff came from almost the same spot as the putt he made on the 18th hole during Sunday’s final round. Despite that, though, when he took the shot on Monday, the ball curved just to the left of the cup. When Kaufman asked the two-time Masters champion about it, Scheffler felt he was a little too firm with the shot. 

“I mean, I hit it on my line. I think it was just a little bit firm as well as putts you kind of had to make and … just hit a little firm. So that’s a bit disappointing, especially with the putts I made last night to kind of stay in the tournament, but overall definitely some good things to come from this week. I struck the ball really nicely. It’s just one of those weeks where I was close, but just wasn’t quite good enough.”

Although the drought continues with his fourth runner-up position in 2026, it’s not like he played poorly this season. He has had nine top-five finishes in fourteen tournaments this season. Scheffler also finished as the runner-up in four tournaments: the Travelers Championship, the Masters, the RBC Heritage, and the Cadillac Championship. In fact, he remains at the top of the FedEx Cup standings race heading into the playoffs. 

The FedEx Cup playoffs are from August 13-30, 2026 (FedEx St. Jude Championship: Aug 13-16; BMW Championship: Aug 20-23; TOUR Championship: Aug 27-30). But before that, he might head to the Royal Birkdale Golf Club in England to defend his Open Championship title from July 16-19. Coming back to his game on Monday, this is not the first time Scheffler has made a mistake that big. 

Scottie Scheffler’s blown six-shot lead

While everyone is focusing on his recent mistake, Scheffler made a worse one during the 2022 Tour Championship. Entering the FedEx Cup finale at East Lake Golf Club as the No. 1 seed, Scheffler started at 10-under par under the staggered scoring system. He dominated the opening three rounds.

By Saturday evening, he was 18-under overall and held a commanding six-shot advantage over Rory McIlroy, putting himself in prime position to win the FedEx Cup. However, the final round unfolded dramatically. He struggled from the start, posting a 3-over 73 as early bogeys and cold putting cost him momentum.

While this was happening, McIlroy presented one of his most brilliant performances. He shot a 4-under 66 that included a crucial 32-foot birdie putt on the 15th hole to draw level. McIlroy finished 21-under, won his third FedEx Cup, becoming the first player to do so, and won $18 million in winnings. 

That said, Scheffler’s heartbreak is clearly not new. Whether he can rediscover his winning touch remains to be seen.