SOUTHAMPTON, N.Y. — Scottie Scheffler has spoiled golf fans in recent seasons, so much that it’s worth reminding ourselves that during his relative down year in 2026—which includes one win and seven top 5 finishes—these are his underlying statistics:
- 1st SG: Total
- 4th SG: Off-The-Tee
- 16th SG: Approach
- 19th SG: Putting
- 30th Driving Distance
- 26th Driving Accuracy
Still fantastic, by any measure. But there’s one other number that has sparked curiosity: Scheffler is missing drives to the right more than at any other point during his PGA Tour career.
For a large chunk of the season, Scheffler was missing to the right more than he was missing to the left, which was a stark difference to previous years.
And Brandel has a theory, which he unleashed during a fascinating segment on Golf Channel’s Live From.
Brandel’s theory is based on a video comparison with his swing in 2015, is that Scheffler’s downswing is more steep than in the past. The club is moving more vertically, and his path is moving more to the left than in the past.
As we unpack in our ball flight diagnosing tool right here, a path moving more left creates the potential for two distinct type of shots:
- A pull left, if the clubface is matching the direction of his golf swing
- Or a big pull-fade, when the clubface is open
Interesting stuff from Brandel, and you can watch the full breakdown here:
Chef Brandel cooked here talking about Scottie Scheffler’s golf swing and the right misses we’re seeing more of this season pic.twitter.com/LcArqta2En
— LKD (@LukeKerrDineen) June 17, 2026
This article was originally published on golfdigest.com
