The US golfer won two major titles in 2024 but has failed to kick on this year following injury problems and has been trying to "downplay" his struggles.

Schauffele said: "I probably downplayed it in my own mind — ‘Yeah, you’ll be fine, you’ve been playing great golf, you just came off the best year of your career’ — and I’ve backed it up currently with the worst year of my career. It’s been a hot one."

The world number three is preparing for the defence of his Open Championship title at Royal Portrush next week and says that his belief remains high, even if the year has not gone to plan.

He said: "The belief is good. I don't think I've given myself a lot of reasons to believe that I'm playing OK. It's been a pretty bad year to be completely honest. ... I think the best part of my game has probably been my mental just fortitude, whatever you want to call it, just to try to stay positive and behave as if I am playing really well.

"But coming off a year like last year, getting hurt, coming back, my expectations and playing ability have not cued up very nicely."

The two-time major winner explained that he is in "full chase mode" as he enters the Genesis Scottish Open this week in the hope of finding some form.

He said: "It's been a weird year for me just from coming off the year I had last year into sort of what I did, just kind of disappearing and then playing bad coming out of it. So any expectation I had of whatever I thought I was capable of doing from a feel standpoint has been sort of reset, and I am in full chase mode, like a kid."