PINEHURST, N.C. — His round completed, the golfer somewhat wearlily leaned over outside the clubhouse, his arms extended and gripping a fence for support.

Scottie Scheffler was done for the day after a third-round 71 Saturday in the U.S. Open. He was trying to put into words the experience and challenge of competing for a major championship in a cauldron of pressure on Pinehurst No. 2.

“I think the game of golf is a mental torture chamber at times, especially in the U.S. Open,” Scheffler said.

Torture chamber? This from the No. 1 ranked player in the world?

Scheffler has been on a run that only someone like Tiger Woods can fully appreciate. If there has been a golf tournament, and Scheffler has been interested in playing in it, he has been the betting favorite —that good.

But not this week, at the U.S. Open. The Masters champion had an opening-round 71, but his 74 on Friday left him 10 shots behind the leader, Ludvig Aberg of Sweden, and he didn’t close the gap Saturday with another over-par round.

“Another frustrating day,” Scheffler said. “It was another day where I played better than my score. I’ve had a lot of trouble reading these greens. I had a lot of putts today where I felt like I hit it really good and I looked up and they were not going the way I thought they were going to go.

“My swing today felt better than it did yesterday. I felt like the last 27 holes I’ve played, I’ve hit it really nice and I just haven’t been able to hit it close enough or or hole enough putts to shoot low.”

Scheffler said the pin positions Saturday at No. 2 were “tricky.” On another hot day, the greens will only get firmer, he said. Miss a fairway, he said, and it will be tough holding the greens without spin on the ball.

Is the golf course “borderline,” Scheffler was asked — on the brink of possibly turning unfair?

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