NEWTOWN SQUARE, Pa. — Three straight second-place finishes. For most golfers, that would be a career highlight. For Scottie Scheffler, it's becoming a running joke—one that's starting to wear thin.

Last week, after the World No. 1 finished runner-up to Cameron Young at the Cadillac Championship in Miami, his wife Meredith delivered the news with a playful jab. "Hey, Scottie, you're like the first guy in PGA Tour history to have three solo runner-ups in a row," she told him.

Scheffler's response? A tight smile and a pointed observation. "Yeah, it's probably because the guy that was playing that good figured out a way to win one of those; he didn't come second in all three."

The stat is real—Scheffler is the first to achieve this dubious distinction since Sergio Garcia in 2014. But as he prepares to defend his title at the 108th PGA Championship this week at Aronimink Golf Club, the world's top-ranked player isn't laughing. He's motivated.

Since 2022, Scheffler has piled up 20 tour titles and an Olympic gold medal. Winning has become routine. But now, with 13 career runner-up finishes to his name, the man who makes victory look easy is learning just how hard losing can be—especially when it keeps happening.

The truth is, this kind of streak happens to great players. It's a testament to Scheffler's consistency that he can contend even without his best stuff. Sometimes you win without your A-game. Sometimes, as the old saying goes, you just keep pitching horseshoes that hit the post.

Jack Nicklaus, who won 18 majors but finished second in 19 more, once summed it up perfectly. When asked about all those near misses, the Golden Bear simply replied: "What's my reaction? My reaction is what a dope."

Scheffler knows the feeling. And at Aronimink, he's determined to make sure the streak stops at three.