Scottie Scheffler within striking distance at U.S. Open – and his putter is heating up

LOS ANGELES – Scottie Scheffler was already enjoying one of the best ball-striking stretches in PGA Tour history.

Now, is his putter finally starting to heat up?

Scheffler opened this 123rd U.S. Open in 3-under 67, five shots back of co-leaders Rickie Fowler and Xander Schauffele, as he rolled in five birdies among 29 putts and gained just over a shot and a half with the putter on Thursday at Los Angeles Country Club.

“Pretty good,” Scheffler said of his putting. “I mean, I rolled it nice, saw some putts go in.”

It was a succinct answer, though it’s hard to blame Scheffler for getting too excited about one strong performance on the greens considering his flatstick hiccups entering this week.…