The world's No. 1 golfer heads to Royal Birkdale earlier than expected after his run of 78 consecutive made cuts came to an end in Scotland.
Scottie Scheffler missed the cut at the Genesis Scottish Open on Friday at The Renaissance Club, ending a streak of 78 consecutive cuts made that dated back 1,428 days to the 2022 FedEx St. Jude Championship.
He opened with a 2-under 68 on Thursday and sat three shots off the lead. A 2-over 72 on Friday, which included two early bogeys and limited birdie chances on the back nine, dropped him to even par and two shots outside the cut line.
The streak ranks among the greatest in golf history.
Scheffler's 78 consecutive cuts made is the fifth-longest streak in PGA Tour history, behind Tiger Woods' record of 142, Byron Nelson's 113, Jack Nicklaus' 105 and Hale Irwin's 86.
Entering the week, Scheffler's run was 51 tournaments longer than the next closest active player.
With the streak over, Matt Fitzpatrick now owns the longest active run at 28 consecutive cuts made.
That gap between first and second underscores how dominant Scheffler's consistency had been.
Scheffler was not the only star to see a long streak end this season, either, as Xander Schauffele's run of 72 straight cuts ended at the Farmers Insurance Open in January.
Scheffler said he was proud of the accomplishment, even if he would have preferred to keep playing through the weekend.
“I'm definitely proud of the consistency and wish I had a couple days over the weekend to make up some ground,” Scheffler said. “Get down to Birkdale a little earlier than expected and get used to a new course.”
Those comments matter because Scheffler has never played Royal Birkdale. Missing the cut gives him several extra days to learn the course before defending his Open Championship title.
Padraig Harrington was the last golfer to successfully defend the Claret Jug, winning in 2008 and 2009.
The missed cut also continues a difficult season by Scheffler's standards. His level has remained high, but the week-to-week consistency that defined the past several years has not been there as often in 2026.
The extra preparation time gives Scheffler one clear advantage, as he now has several additional days to study Royal Birkdale before Thursday's opening round.
Whether that time helps him turn the page quickly or whether the disappointment of ending one of golf's greatest streaks lingers will be one of the biggest storylines heading into the season's final major.
