Scottie Scheffler looked unstoppable early on. An impressive second-round 67—featuring three birdies and a massive eagle—had him sitting comfortably in second place at The Genesis Invitational. And then… the weekend happened. By the end of Saturday’s round, Scheffler found himself tumbling to T8. And he wasn’t alone.

World No. 3 Rory McIlroy, who was right in contention early in the tournament, suffered a similar fate. By the time Saturday wrapped up, both he and Scheffler were sitting at T8 alongside Maverick McNealy and Nicolas Echavarria. The PGA Tour summed up Scheffler’s struggles perfectly in a post:

While another post highlighted the problem: “Scottie has missed 3 putts inside 6 feet this week and still only 1 back.” That was the story of his round. The usually rock-solid Scheffler was missing putts he normally drains with his eyes closed. And it wasn’t just a few hiccups—his putting woes were becoming the storyline of his tournament. Then came Saturday’s disaster. A brutal round of 4-over 76—his worst score since the final round of The 2022 PLAYERS Championship—knocked him out of contention.

If Scheffler had a rough day on the greens, McIlroy had a meltdown. Golf analyst Justin Ray pointed out just how bad things got for the Northern Irishman: “Rory McIlroy: -3.90 strokes gained putting today His worst single round on the PGA Tour in that statistic in more than 10 years (2014 Wells Fargo, -4.18)”

For context, strokes gained putting measures how well a player putts compared to the rest of the field. A negative number means McIlroy lost nearly four strokes just on the greens—and that’s catastrophic at this level.

By the time the round wrapped up, both he and Scheffler were five shots back of the lead heading into Sunday’s final round. As fate would have it, the struggling duo will be paired together for the final round, both looking to salvage something from the week. For two of the best golfers in the world, the expectation is always to contend, not to be lurking somewhere lower on the leaderboard. Sure T8 isn’t bad at all, but just look at these guys, they are meant to be on top. But with their shocking drop on the leaderboard, fans were quick to chime in with their reactions.

What are fans saying about Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy’s new low?

Scottie Scheffler is back on the course after a brief hiatus following his palm surgery over Christmas. His return started with a solid T9 finish at the AT&T, followed by a T25 at the Phoenix Open. Now, at The Genesis Invitational, fans were eager to see him finally break through for his first win of the season. And then there’s Rory McIlroy. He came into the event fresh off a win at the AT&T. Many thought he’d ride that momentum straight into another strong showing at The Genesis Invitational.

But now, with both him and Scheffler sitting at T8 after a rough third round, frustration among fans is palpable. One user summed it up perfectly, saying: “Nothing says more about the way the game is played today than 2 of the elite putt like blind men.” Ouch.

McIlroy, in particular, had a nightmare with the flatstick, losing 3.90 strokes on the greens in round three. That led to takes like this: “One of us….but if you’ve ever played Torrey it’s not so unusual. Go to church Sunday morning Rory, it can only help.”

If you’ve ever been humbled by Torrey Pines’ brutal greens, you get it. This place can make even the best ball strikers look clueless if their putter isn’t cooperating. And by the weekend, when the greens firm up and get even tougher to read, it’s a whole different beast. But not everyone was ready to write them off just yet. Optimists in the crowd had their say too, with one Scheffler supporter reminding everyone of his clutch ability: “He’s come from behind plenty of times! I can’t wait to watch!!”

And they’re not wrong. Scheffler isn’t just a front-runner—he’s got multiple wins where he’s surged late, including his 2022 Masters victory where he outdueled Cameron Smith on Sunday. The real question is: Can he find his putting stroke in time?

Another fan pinpointed the exact moment things went south for Scheffler: “Was never the same after this putt. The whole round went down the toilet.”

Meanwhile, some were looking at the bigger picture, questioning whether the PGA Tour should rethink its approach to course setups: “The game of golf, the pga needs to address what the fans want. Do they like an even par champion or a -20 champion. When players are struggling I’m looking to change over to an NCAA basketball game instead. Just sayin.” This taps into a real discussion about course setups. Some fans love watching pros struggle—it makes them seem human. Others think the Tour should lean into birdie fests. Torrey Pines, in particular, is known for being a grind, and the USGA-style setup can frustrate even the best.

Then, there were the fans who reminded everyone that even the best have off days: “Even champions face setbacks. That lip-out shows golf’s humbling nature – but watch how Scottie bounces back. True greatness isn’t about perfect shots, it’s about resilience.”

That’s the beauty of golf. It’s not about perfection; it’s about how you handle adversity. We’ve seen this before—players struggling, the media doubting them, and then boom—they’re back winning the next week.

And finally, some fans chimed in with some facts, writing, “A combination of the weight of high expectations after last year/characteristic struggles on the green/still recovering from his bizarre off-season injury. The season’s still young though, but he didn’t have rounds like this or last week’s final round very often last year.”

Well, that’s true. Scheffler dominated last season, bagging seven PGA Tour trophies along with an Olympic gold medal. It’s no surprise that expectations for him are sky-high. But at the end of the day, he’s human. And coming back from any surgery—even something minor—takes time. 

So, while fans may be divided on why Scheffler and McIlroy struggled, one thing is clear: the golf world is watching. Whether it’s frustration, optimism, or brutal honesty, everyone has an opinion. Now, it’s up to them to prove the doubters wrong.