Scottie Scheffler basks in 2022 glory; he is focusing on the future at American Express

LA QUINTA (Calif.) — Scottie Scheffler was a very good player heading into the American Express event last year. He finished 14th in the world and was one year away from being named PGA Rookies of the Year. Scheffler seemed poised to continue his career.

He was the No. 1 player, a four-time winner and a Masters champion three months later. 1-ranked player. This is called taking off.

Scheffler is the reigning PGA Player Of The Year and will be entering The American Express this year. It is amazing how much 365 days can make a tour.

“Yeah. I feel like my game has improved significantly since last year. I feel like I have added new elements to my game and am continuing to work on certain areas. Scheffler stated that he has seen some positive results, which was exciting, during Wednesday’s pre-tournament press conference. This came just days before Scheffler tees off at La Quinta Country Club for his 2023 American Express.

He’s now honing his skills, rather than learning how to win. The mental obstacles have been overcome.

Scheffler stated, “It’s just fine tuning stuff, so you could say that it’s physically.” “Trying to be more consistent, I would say, is probably the greatest thing.”

Scheffler spent the majority of 2022 at No. Scheffler currently sits at No. Rory McIlroy is 2nd. Scheffler would be able to regain his position at the top of the rankings if he wins this week.

Does he pay attention to it?

“No, I am focused on trying my best to win the tournament. He said that he doesn’t know what a win or finish would do for him in the world rankings. “I haven’t checked in for a while but I know that I’m still No. 2, and No. 2 and No. 2. These things are not important to me. It’s best to be present and keep working on the things I have been working on for many years.

He will play in his fourth American Express. His best finish was a third-place effort for 2020. After finishing tied for 25th at the event last year, he took off on his torrid spring.

Scheffler stated that he and Randy Smith aren’t big stat men. Scheffler said that he doesn’t spend too much time crunching high-end analytics brought in by player-coach pairs to their offseason workouts. Scheffler isn’t going to ignore them. However, he believes his intuition often aligns with advanced metrics so he focuses there.

“Most often, the stuff he sees and what I feel aligns with statistics. Scheffler explained that when we return from events, we tend to have certain things that we know we need to improve on. “Some years Randy will be looking at the stats. Some years, I’ll check the stats. It’s not a super organized process. We do have some understanding of where we are at all times. We don’t look at fairway statistics to see which side is more frequently missed. It doesn’t matter if I am missing more left or more right. It’s little things here and there.

Scheffler stated Wednesday that he feels in good shape despite only playing in two tournaments since Nov. 13th. Scheffler was second in Hero Challenge early December, and tied for seventh at Sentry Tournament of Champions two week ago.

He said, “Yeah. I feel like my game has been solid lately.” “I hit it really well and made some putts. This week, I hope to hit it better and make more putts. Then hopefully, I will be there towards the end and get a win. My game is in a good place, trending in the right direction, and beginning to see some results. That’s great.

Scheffler didn’t say “fun” the last time he used it. He was asked if his 2022 accomplishments, which included four wins and his first major as well as four second-place finishes. Scheffler also participated in a winning Presidents Cup team.

He said, “I knew I was having fun,” and then he looked away to reflect on the glorious 2022. Then he returned to his favorite place, which was the present. “I did reflect a bit, but I don’t tend to focus too much on the future or the past. Just try to be present and continue working towards it.”