Scottie Scheffler has responded to Phil Mickelson’s controversial social media prediction that the world No 1 would not win any tournaments before this year’s Ryder Cup. The 29-year-old American, who recently claimed The Open Championship, suggested the six-time major winner’s tweet was a veiled attempt to cast doubt on the United States’ prospects rather than a genuine forecast.
Appearing on the Pardon My Take podcast, Scheffler confirmed he had seen the post. When asked if he believed Mickelson meant to say Scheffler would not win at all, but held back to avoid undermining the US team, Scheffler replied: “I would agree with that. I think that’s what he was trying to say. But you can’t say that America is going to lose the Ryder Cup when you are an American. So he kind of threw in that little cookie there at the end. Phil is not dumb. Phil is very smart.”
Mickelson’s prediction, posted at the start of 2025, came during a lean patch for Scheffler, who had endured a slow start to the season and was recovering from surgery after a kitchen accident. Since then, the world No 1 has won the CJ Cup Byron Nelson, the Memorial Tournament, the PGA Championship and The Open Championship at Portrush.
When the podcast host described Mickelson’s tweet as “dumb” given Scheffler’s subsequent success, the Open champion smiled and added: “It didn’t age very well.” Mickelson has since acknowledged his error, writing on X that he had “already acknowledged I was wrong” and defending his willingness to take risks despite public scrutiny.
Scheffler is expected to play a key role for Team USA in the Ryder Cup, which begins in New York in September. He was a captain’s pick in 2021 and played in the 2023 edition, ending on the losing side in Rome.
