Scottie Scheffler is No. 1 in the world and one of 12 at the Ryder Cup

FARMINGDALE, N.Y. (AP) — Scottie Scheffler has been the standard everyone is chasing for the last 856 days. That's how long he has been No. 1 in the world, the longest stretch in golf for anyone since Tiger Woods.

Now he is one of 12 at the Ryder Cup. His matches at Bethpage Black count no more than anyone else, whether it's Patrick Cantlay or Harris English or Bryson DeChambeau.

“At the end of the day, it's just all about going and winning your point,” Justin Thomas said Tuesday. "All of us are very happy that he's on our team this week so we don't have to try to figure out how to beat him in an individual tournament. It's nice that he's on our side.

“No, he's just viewed as one of the 12. And we're all one and the same, I'd say.”

It was like that for Scheffler when he was world No. 1 at Marco Simone two years ago, and he failed to win a match by going 0-2-2. That included being on the losing end with Brooks Koepka in the shortest match in Ryder Cup history. Ludvig Aberg and Viktor Hovland won in 11 holes.

There isn't a great history for No. 1 players in the Ryder Cup, at least on the American side. Dustin Johnson was at the top of his game when he went 1-4-0 in Paris.

As for Woods, he didn't have a winning record until his fifth Ryder Cup, in 2006 at The K Club in Ireland, when he went 3-2-0 as the Americans lost by nine points.

None of this matters to Scheffler. Very little does when it comes to golf. His credo has been to show up at the first tee — Bethpage Black, Royal Portrush, Muirfield Village — knowing he has done everything possible to be ready. And then go compete.

“Should the expectations of me be different than any other player? I don't really think about that kind of stuff,” Scheffler said. “I truly don’t think about expectations or anything like that. That’s wasted space in my brain.”

But there always seemed to be a burden for Woods, a different cat. He never really was one of 12 because he was Tiger Woods. He was THE one of 12.

A European win over Woods counted as one point. Motivationally, it felt like two.

There also was the issue of finding Woods a good partner for foursomes and fourballs. He played with 10 players in his first four Ryder Cup appearances.

Scheffler has had six partners — three each for the Presidents Cup and Ryder Cup — though he and Russell Henley appeared to be a good fit last year at Royal Montreal in the Presidents Cup and are likely to be together at Bethpage Black.

“I think we have 12 guys that are all equal. I don’t think one player is more important than another. I think that is something that is through our team room,” Scheffler said. "I’d like to think that I’m not difficult to pair with people. I’d like to think of myself as someone that’s a nice guy and easy to get along with.

“I’ve had different partners over the years and have had some success. I would definitely not put myself in that category.”

Scheffler's rookie year on the PGA Tour was the last time Woods competed in team matches, so it's a subject on which he has limited knowledge.

“It could just be the aura that was Tiger Woods,” he said.

Europe has had its share of No. 1 players with a different result.

Jon Rahm was 3-1-1 when he was at No. 1 for the 2021 matches at Whistling Straits. His one loss was to Scheffler, who birdied the opening four holes for a comfortable win.

Rory McIlroy went 3-2-0 at No. 1 in the world when Europe won at Medinah in 2012, and he was 2-1-2 as the top-ranked player at Gleneagles in Scotland in 2024.

Nick Faldo was 2-1-2 when he played as the world No. 1 at the Belfry in 1993. The only No. 1 player from Europe with a losing record was Ian Woosnam (1-3-0) in 1991.

“Rory has talked about this many times — he loves what the Ryder Cup represents,” European captain Luke Donald said. “You can see the emotion both ways.”

There were tears from McIlroy when Europe lost big at Whistling Straits. There was that dispute with Patrick Cantlay's caddie on the 18th green at Marco Simone two years ago, that resulted in McIlroy having to be restrained later that evening in the parking lot.

He used that as motivation for Europe on Sunday to finish the job by smoking the Americans.

“He sees himself as a leader, but also just one of the 12,” Donald said. “We try and talk about that a lot. We all have an opportunity to contribute to the team. To have someone of his caliber, though, what he’s achieved in the game is tremendous.”

Scheffler is a leader of the U.S. team by his sheer stature in the game, even if he doesn't see it that way. This is only his third Ryder Cup. Then again, Thomas is the most experienced American and this is only his fourth appearance.

It's a young U.S. team by experience — the 12 players have combined to play in 15 Ryder Cups. Scheffler is among six players on the last team in Rome.

“I don’t think it can be understated how difficult of a week Rome was for us. I think we could have done better, for sure,” he said. “That wasn’t how I expected the week to go. I think we learned from it, and we’re as prepared as ever this time.”

AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf

Scottie Scheffler hits from the sixth tee during the first round of the Procore Championship golf event, Thursday, Sept 11, 2025 in Napa, Calf. (AP Photo/Doug Ferguson)

Europe's Jon Rahm walks on the 16th hole during a practice round for the Ryder Cup golf tournament, Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2025, in Farmingdale, N.Y., at Bethpage State Park's Black Course. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

Europe's Rory McIlroy, of Northern Ireland, tosses balls in the air during a practice round for the Ryder Cup golf tournament, Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2025, in Farmingdale, N.Y., at Bethpage State Park's Black Course. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

Europe's Rory McIlroy, of Northern Ireland, reacts after missing a putt on the second hole during a practice round for the Ryder Cup golf tournament, Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2025, in Farmingdale, N.Y., at Bethpage State Park's Black Course. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

United States' Scottie Scheffler speaks during a news conference before a practice round at the Ryder Cup golf tournament, Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2025, in Farmingdale, N.Y., at Bethpage State Park's Black Course between the United States and Europe. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

United States' Scottie Scheffler hits from the bunker on the 11th hole during a practice round for the Ryder Cup golf tournament, Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2025, in Farmingdale, N.Y., at Bethpage State Park's Black Course. (AP Photo/Robert Bukaty)

OBBUERGEN, Switzerland (AP) — Negotiators from the U.S. and Iran were set to engage in a second day of talks Monday to solidify a permanent end to the war between the countries, after a first day of mediation began with a rocky start.

Mediators Qatar and Pakistan hailed what they called “encouraging progress” made during the talks as Iran and the United States agreed to create a “de-confliction cell” to address the fighting in Lebanon. A senior U.S. diplomat claimed progress on multiple fronts, including the establishment of “mechanisms” to ensure the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway for global energy shipments, remains open and that a ceasefire in southern Lebanon holds.

Yet the first full day of talks between the U.S. and Iran, who were accompanied by Qatari and Pakistani officials, was jolted by blistering statements from U.S. President Donald Trump, who from thousands of miles away from the Swiss negotiating venue at a mountainside resort near Lake Lucerne was firing off comments that offended the Iranians.

Iranian state media said talks had paused after the “publication of an insulting message by the U.S. President.” The Iranian delegation then met with Qatari mediators and left the negotiating site, state media said. The senior U.S. diplomat, who spoke on condition of anonymity to brief journalists on the ongoing talks, said late Sunday that the Iranians remained on site and the negotiations were on.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian had vowed to “never back down from the right to enrich uranium,” according to state media, and Trump later told Fox News in a phone interview that Pezeshkian should watch what he says and also threatened to take over Iran, according to one of the news channel's correspondents.

Trump also continued to issue warnings against Iran on social media, posting as negotiators worked: “Iran must immediately stop their highly paid PROXIES in Lebanon from causing trouble. If they don’t, we’ll hit Iran very hard again, just like we did last week, only harder!!!”

The chief negotiators for the U.S. include JD Vance, the vice president; special envoy Steve Witkoff, and Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of the president. Iran is represented by Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, Iran’s parliamentary speaker, and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.

It’s unclear when Vance will depart Switzerland, although he told Fox News in an interview Saturday that he anticipates staying only a “day or two.” Kushner and Witkoff are handling much of the technical details on behalf of the U.S. delegation.

In a joint statement, Pakistan and Qatar said the high-level talks had ended and that technical negotiations would continue in Switzerland for the rest of the week. The statement said the sides had agreed to establish a “communication line” to ensure safe passage of ships in the Strait of Hormuz, as well as a mechanism to bring about an end to the fighting between Israel and the Iranian-backed militant group Hezbollah in Lebanon.

The U.S. offered no immediate comment, while Iran praised the meditators’ work.

Araghchi wrote on X that Pakistani and Qatari mediators delivered "major progress to end the Lebanon War.” He added that the first “real test” of negotiations would be whether the mechanism succeeded in halting the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah.

The senior U.S. diplomat said among the issues discussed was Iran’s messaging as it related to the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran’s military said it closed Saturday in response to continued fighting in Lebanon. U.S. Central Command has disputed that Iran closed the strait again.

The interim deal to end the fighting in Iran, signed last week by the leaders of the U.S. and Iran, outlines a 60-day period for negotiators to settle the future of Tehran’s nuclear program amid concerns that it wants to use it for military purposes, a claim Iran denies. The fate of frozen Iranian assets, among other thorny issues, are also on the agenda.

Though the talks will encompass a vast array of complex matters, Iran first wants to focus on addressing the fighting in Lebanon.

Saturday’s renewed ceasefire in Lebanon appeared to be holding, and Israel’s military said it would lift movement restrictions for residents near the Israel-Lebanon border on Monday morning. Neither Israel nor Hezbollah is a signatory to the U.S.-Iran deal.

Kim reported from Washington.

From left, US Vice-President JD Vance, Prime Minister of Islamic Republic of Pakistan, Shehbaz Sharif and Premier minister of Qatar Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, at the Buergenstock resort resort in Obbuergen, near Lucerne, Switzerland, Sunday, June 21, 2026. (Urs Flueeler, Pool Photo via AP)

US Vice President JD Vance prior to a quadrilateral meeting between the United States, Iran, Pakistan and Qatar at the Burgenstock luxury hotel complex overlooking Lake Lucerne, Switzerland, Sunday June 21, 2026. (Fabrice Coffrini/Keystone via AP)

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Iran, Seyyed Abbas Araghchi, 3rd from right, and Speaker of the Islamic Parliament of Iran, Mohammed Bagher Ghalibaf, 2nd from right, with the Delegation of Iran at the Lake Lucerne Summit at the Buergenstock resort in Obbuergen, near Lucerne, Switzerland, Sunday, June 21, 2026. (Urs Flueeler, Pool Photo via AP)