PINEHURST, North Carolina (AFP) — Scottie Scheffler, the world’s most dominant golfer, was so frustrated at the US Open that he flipped a putter in the air and slammed a driver to the ground.

Top-ranked Scheffler struggled to a four-over par 74 in the second round at Pinehurst, his first birdie-less round at a major.

Standing on five-over 145 for 36 holes, Scheffler finished on the cut line and defied his own expectations by being among 74 players to reach the weekend.

“I don’t think five-over is going to get me into the weekend,” said Scheffler, who in fact made the cut on the number.

“But I’m proud of how I fought. I gave myself a good chance.”

Scheffler last missed a major cut at the 2022 PGA Championship.

When the 27-year-old American began the week, he was a huge favorite, coming off his fifth victory of the year at the Memorial, a run that included his second Masters triumph in April.

No golfer had won five PGA Tour events before the US Open since Tom Watson in 1980. He had 12 top-10 efforts in 13 2024 starts.

He started on the back nine in a glory group with second-ranked Xander Schauffele, last month’s PGA Championship winner, and four-time major winner Rory McIlroy.

Scheffler began on the back nine and made bogeys at the par-3 15th and 17th holes, then stumbled to a double bogey at the par-5 fifth.

At 15, Scheffler left a 17-foot par putt just on the edge of the cup, a near-miss so maddening he flipped his putter into the air and let it fall awkwardly to the green.

“Today I just couldn’t get the putts to fall,” Scheffler said.

“This golf course can be unpredictable at times, and maybe it got the better of me the last couple days. I’ll sit down and think about where we’re going the last few days and figure it out.”

At 17, his tee shot plunked into a greenside bunker and television microphones caught Scheffler saying to himself, “Maybe the worst golf shot I’ve ever seen you hit.”

At 18, Scheffler’s tee shot soared way left into native brush and he responded by hurling his driver to the ground.

“Around this place you have to hit such good shots,” Scheffler said.

“The golf course is challenging. I think personally it’s fun to play, but it was definitely a grind.”

Schauffele agreed it was fun but had a warning as well.