Scottie Scheffler arrived at Shinnecock Hills carrying nine straight U.S. Open rounds without breaking par. A win here would not just end that run; it would complete his career Grand Slam. But the first three days did little to suggest the streak was about to end. He opened with a 2-over 72 and followed it with a 78 that still left him seven shots back of leader Wyndham Clark. Saturday started no differently. He made back-to-back bogeys on the opening two holes, dragging him over par again. Then on the 14th, Scheffler let out a big roar as he pumped his fist for the first time at the 2026 U.S. Open.

“Yeah, at that point, I’m still over par for the tournament, staring at a pretty tough up-and-down. So to steal a shot there at least is a pretty good feeling. We’ve been battling for three days now, and yeah, at that point, over par for the tournament, you can feel like it’s kind of slipping away. To steal one was really nice.” Scheffler said at the post-round press conference.

“No, I mean, after three days, as I said, I’ve been—we’ve been battling hard for a few days, and I did a good job of keeping myself in the tournament. I’ll need a really nice round tomorrow if I’m going to try and catch Wyndham,” he adds further.

The first three rounds tested Scheffler from the very beginning. Round one started with two-hour fog delays before players faced 20 mph winds that punished even the well-struck shots. Scheffler found plenty of fairways, but Shinnecock’s greens proved to be difficult to hold. Approach shots that appeared perfectly judged often rolled off the firm surfaces. He opened with a two-over 72, leaving him tied for 49th and two over par for the championship.

Round two proved steadier. Scheffler carded a two-under 68 to climb from T49 to T11. Starting at the 10th hole, he played both nines in one-under par and briefly generated momentum with a 40-foot birdie putt. However, he remained seven shots behind Wyndham Clark, who set a Shinnecock Hills 36-hole scoring record at seven-under.

Unfortunately, he opened round three with back-to-back bogeys on the first two holes.

The front nine remained a grind as he worked to get back to even par, turning in 37. Scheffler built momentum on the back nine, as is his style, making birdie on the par-4 10th, completely changing the complexion of his round. Right afterward, on the par-4 14th, Scheffler made a birdie. The World No. 1 let out a big roar and pumped his fist as he came back to even par. It moved him to T6 for the championship. It was one of the biggest displays of affection from usually composed Scottie Scheffler.

In his classic style, Scheffler flipped his Round 3 as he holed two back-to-back birdies again on the 15th and the 16th. The three birdies in a row on 14, 15, and 16 lifted him to T2 and firmly back into contention. He ended Round 3 at T2, six shots off the leader, Wyndham Clark.

With that, Scheffler has a reason to believe that Sunday can help him flip the game altogether. The USGA is also expected to firm the course further for round four, and Scheffler noted that. “It suits the player hitting the best shots. If you’re hitting great shots for the most part, you’re going to get rewarded, and if you’re hitting good shots, you’re going to be a little bit on the edge.”

Scheffler to Balance Shinnecock and Fatherhood Heading into final round 

Although Scheffler was quick to admit he’s having a struggle balancing fatherhood and golf, he now seems to be balancing both with remarkable consistency. After his round, he was asked how he planned to spend Saturday evening, and his answer was entirely in character.

“Tomorrow with the kids, I’m not really going to have too much downtime. Chase my son around for a bit. Sam should be at the house for a while as well, and we’ll have breakfast and hang out, watch a little golf, see how the course is playing,” Scheffler said.

Scheffler and his wife welcomed their second son, Remy, in March, and the world number one has spoken openly about shortening practice sessions to spend time with both of his boys. His older son, Bennett, who turned two in May, is already showing interest in the game, often following his father around with a toy golf club.

A Sunday win would also deliver a career Grand Slam on his 30th birthday, which happens to fall on Father’s Day as well.