In 2024 Schauffele was the most likely candidate to topple Scottie Scheffler from the top of the world rankings. His technique was so honed and sound, he could see a target and hit his ball there with minimal thought.

Golf was a simple pursuit.

However, a rib injury cost him the first few weeks of the 2025 season and since returning the game has been anything but easy. His name has barely featured on a leaderboard with only one top-10 all year.

"It was nice to see my photo out by the toilet," he joked. "That was heartwarming. It summed up how I feel about what's going on right now."

At least he could laugh about it, but this decline amounts to the first sustained setback of an otherwise stellar career. He celebrated Olympic gold in 2021 and has nine PGA Tour victories to his name.

He tore an intercostal muscle at the start of the year and trying to rediscover the action that brought so much success has been frustratingly elusive. The path of his swing has been inconsistent and "bad habits" crept in.

"The way I was moving the club last year was still new, and the bad place I got the club to this year was new," Schauffele explained.

"I've hit a lot of bad shots from a certain place but it was home for me. I've been playing from that, call it short and laid off and shut."

He is looking at videos of how he was swinging last year, but getting that feeling back and executing it is not straightforward. One erroneous move can prompt another and it takes quite a bit of untangling, even for the world's best.

In Schauffele's case, this has led to second guessing and tinkering and that is not a malaise any golfer needs when readying for an imminent Open defence.

"What would make me really happy is that I can just play freely," he said. "I think the obstacles of trying to play really good golf and then playing bad golf and then just fiddling all day long is really what drives me nuts.

"It's why we love the game but it's what's driving me crazy. So if I can just get out of my own way, that would be the thing that would make me happiest right now, more than even winning a tournament."