FARMINGDALE, N.Y. – Scottie Scheffler’s eyes darted around, searching for the nearest cart to whisk him away for a brief respite.

It was all happening again. The world No. 1 had just walked off the 15th hole defeated, beaten handily by Europeans Ludvig Åberg and Matt Fitzpatrick in Friday morning’s Foursomes. Scheffler and Russell Henley were uncompetitive for much of their 5-and-3 loss, just like Scheffler and Brooks Koepka were uncompetitive for the 9-and-7 shellacking at the hands of the Euros two years ago in Italy.

No carts came to Scheffler’s aid. Not until he was halfway to the 16th fairway. Nobody expected the match to be done so quickly, nor for the Ryder Cup to already teeter on the edge like this.

This was supposed to be Scheffler’s Ryder Cup. He was the last man on the team in 2021 and rode those lack of expectations to an unbeaten week at Whistling Straits. He was a disappointment in 2023, but he was still in the early stages of becoming the dominant force he is today. Plus, he was one of the many no-show Americans in Italy – hardly the main point of consternation. This was Scheffler’s Ryder Cup to win and his U.S. Team to lead.

After Day 1 at Bethpage Black, it’s Scheffler who is losing it. The American’s top dog went 0-2 on Friday, following up his Foursomes loss with a similarly demoralizing 3-and-2 defeat to Jon Rahm and Sepp Straka in afternoon Four-ball. Had a different U.S. player failed to make a birdie until his 28th hole and failed to see the 17th hole in either of his matches, like Scheffler did, it would have been a no-brainer to bench him. Instead, Scheffler will go out again Saturday morning with Russell Henley, this time facing Robert McIntyre and Viktor Hovland.

Staring down a 5.5-2.5 deficit and their first home Ryder Cup loss since Medinah in 2012, there is no viable alternative. The U.S. must live and die with Scheffler.

“It really just came down to me not holing enough putts,” Scheffler said as the shadows began to surround Bethpage Black. He joined a regrettable list of world No. 1s who lost twice in the first day of the Ryder Cup: Ian Woosnam (1991) and Tiger Woods (1999, 2002).

There are worse bets to make than on Scheffler, the runaway top player in the game who won two of his last three starts on TOUR and boasts a game and personality that should fit any course and any partner.

Yet the Scheffler that walked the grounds Friday at Bethpage looked nothing like the one who blitzed the field in Baltimore (BMW Championship) or Napa (Procore Championship) over the past few months. And his Ryder Cup resume now includes more than a few of those instances. Scheffler is 0-3-2 in his last five Ryder Cup matches, with all three losses ending by the 16th hole. He’s 1-6 in his Foursomes career across the Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup.

Scheffler’s putter abandoned him Friday, and with it, the air of invincibility that had wafted around him since Italy two years ago. Scheffler made one putt outside 10 feet all day.

“It doesn’t happen often, but it’s happening today,” Scheffler’s father, Scott, said as he watched his son play the par-3 14th in the afternoon.

And what a poor time for it to happen. The U.S. eked out 2.5 points in the other six matches, nearly batting .500 without their best player. To be fair, Scheffler was put in difficult spots as his Foursomes partner Henley struggled, and J.J. Spaun was far from a dynamo in his Four-ball debut. Scheffler is supposed to rise above that, though. He said in the lead-up that he didn’t place any extra expectation on himself entering the week as the American alpha. He was just one of 12, on an even playing field with the rest of the team room.

The only issue? They needed him to be more than that.

“Pull it together, Scottie, you’re getting boatraced!” one fan shouted as Scheffler approached the 10th tee during Foursomes, 4-down.

There was a world in which Scheffler could have struggled this week, and the U.S. still succeeded. After all, the top-ranked player in the Ryder Cup field since 1999 has won only 38% of their matches. With the home crowd willing the rookies and the out-of-form veterans into comfort, Scheffler could be average. That didn’t materialize. The crowd fell a bit flat compared to the high expectations thrust upon it, though the U.S. didn’t give them much to cheer about. The rookies looked shaky, which Scheffler saw up close and personal with Russell Henley and J.J. Spaun. Ben Griffin didn’t look much better, though Cameron Young was a bright spot. The struggling veterans, Collin Morikawa and Justin Thomas, didn’t raise their level. That left the U.S. desperate for a tone setter. In other words, desperate for Scheffler.

“C’mon, Scottie, show up,” another American fan jeered midway through Scheffler’s Four-ball round.

He never did. Now the U.S. is in a hole, and Scheffler is the only way out.