The last world number one to lose four out of five Ryder Cup matches before Scottie Scheffler

But Scheffler isn’t the only world number one to have faced this kind of challenge at the Ryder Cup. It was just eight years ago that Rory McIlroy also had a similar result, losing four out of five matches despite being ranked first in the world.

Scottie Scheffler lost 5&4 alongside Sam Burns against Tommy Fleetwood and Rory McIlroy

Scheffler and Burns did not win a single hole in their match against Fleetwood and McIlroy during foursomes on Friday morning. The duo lost three holes before turning six down at the 11th, before finally managing to halve holes on what would be their final two holes played.

It would be too much to suggest that Scheffler’s poor form over the first two days was what cost Team USA their lead going into Sunday. They were still ahead after all with him yet to contribute on the scoreboard.

Scheffler has not appeared for Team USA since the defeat to Europe in Rome. There is no doubt that he will get another opportunity if he wants it in Ireland or later down the line if he decides to continue playing well into his late thirties or beyond.

Looking back at the last world number one to lose four out of five matches at the Ryder Cup

Team USA had a tough time at the 2018 Ryder Cup, with nearly a third of their points coming in just the opening session at Le Golf National. Jim Furyk’s side held a 3-1 lead after Friday morning.

Dustin Johnson and Rickie Fowler provided one of those early points, defeating Rory McIlroy and Thorbjorn Olesen 4&2. It was Olesen’s only appearance until Sunday singles.

That match would also turn out to be Johnson’s only point for Team USA that week.

The pair lost to Justin Rose and Henrik Stenson in the afternoon foursomes, followed by another defeat to Paul Casey and Tyrrell Hatton on Saturday morning.

In the fourth session, Rose and Stenson again got the better of Johnson, this time with Brooks Koepka as his partner.

The difficult week ended with Johnson losing his singles match against Ian Poulter. He remains one of two players who have held the top spot in men’s golf while losing four matches at a single Ryder Cup event.

Dustin Johnson’s return to world number one in 2018

Johnson picked up three PGA Tour wins ahead of the 2018 Ryder Cup, including the RBC Canadian Open in July. He also finished inside the top 10 at The Masters and took third place at the US Open at Shinnecock.

He ended up second in the qualification standings for Paris, just behind Koepka, who won two majors that year.

While Johnson held onto the number one ranking for only four weeks that time, he would go on to reclaim it four more times over his career.

And by Whistling Straits three years later, Johnson played a key role for Team USA, winning all five of his matches as they recorded a record victory over Europe.

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This year’s performance may have been forgettable for Scheffler, but there will be hope from Europe’s side that he doesn’t follow a similar path when Adare Manor comes around.