Scottie Scheffler and Sam Burns defeated Min Woo Lee and Sungjae Im 1-up in Thursday’s four-ball at the Presidents Cup 2026. It helped the U.S. take a 3-2 lead after the opening day. But it was not a one-sided victory. In fact, the scores were tied for most of the round. Im then put the International team ahead at No. 13, but Burns hit an approach to roughly two feet to level the match at No. 14.

Their win ended a 0–3–1 run as partners across the Presidents and Ryder Cups. But Scheffler’s performance was nowhere near what is expected of the World No. 1. He even admitted that Sam Burns was playing two against one on the final hole, as Scheffler had put him in a tight position. But that’s usually his story at team events. Now, his father, Scott Scheffler, has revealed the reason behind this significant difference in his performances. He shared it with Rex Hoggard, who relayed it while discussing the 22-time PGA Tour winner’s Thursday four-ball performance on the Golf Channel Podcast with Rex and Lav.

“You and I were walking with Scott Scheffler, Scottie’s Dad, and he mentioned it. He said Scottie needs to relax, he needs to go and pretend this is a normal round of golf. I think when he puts the flag on either here or at the Ryder Cup, there is so much pressure that comes with that,” Hoggard said.

While Scheffler performs exceptionally at major championships and PGA Tour events, it is a completely different story in team events. Before Medinah, Scheffler was 3-5-1 (wins-losses-ties) at Presidents Cups and 3-6-3 at Ryder Cups, a combined 6-11-4. His foursomes record across the two events was 1-7. This is an especially pertinent statistic with Friday’s alternate-shot match on the schedule.

The story repeated at Medinah today. Competing against Corey Conners and Nick Taylor, Scheffler and Sam Burns started with a 1-up lead after a birdie on the second par-four. But the International pair got the point right back on the third. The same happened on the fourth and fifth holes, as the Americans once again took a lead but failed to hold it.

The International team took control after that. They scored a birdie on the sixth hole for a 1-up lead that they maintained through the ninth hole before the two teams tied again. On the par-four 12th, Conners and Taylor birdied to go 1-up again. This time, they kept the American duo from getting that point back until the end to win the match.

Everyone knows the pressure Scottie Scheffler faces as the World No. 1. It’s not just the fans, though; he himself expects a lot from his own game.

“As a hypercompetitive person, I think sometimes I can probably try too hard. If you look at my putting stats over the course of my career, arguably what made me struggle the most in 2023 was probably trying too hard. I think when you look at this format, and like you said, maybe my record hasn’t matched up to what I think that it should be, could it be trying too hard?” Scheffler said while speaking ahead of the biennial event. “I think that’s definitely a factor for sure.”

His captain and teammates also know there’s a lot of pressure on him. Brandt Snedeker even tried to release some of that pressure. He went on to say that the Americans won’t win or lose because of Scottie Scheffler alone. Therefore, he shouldn’t burden himself with all those expectations. Snedeker said he wanted Scheffler to be comfortable, have fun, and play as himself.

Assistant captain Gary Woodland called the American professional the leader of the team.

“Scottie is the leader of our team. At the end of the day, he’s the best player in the world. The guys look to him. His voice carries more weight.” Woodland said.

Overall, Scottie Scheffler’s struggles in team events seem tied less to his ability and more to the pressure he puts on himself. With Snedeker and his teammates urging him to relax and play his natural game, Scheffler will need to ease that burden if he wants to turn his team-event record around.