AUSTIN (Texas) — Scottie Scheffler returns to Austin Country Club, where he made his rapid rise to the top of the golf game and climbed to the No. The world’s No. 1 ranking.
This week’s World Golf Championships – Dell Technologies Match Play champion is defending his title. He will open Wednesday’s match against Davis Riley. It will be the first of three days pool play before Saturday’s knockout stage. The ex-Texas Longhorn legend is happy to be back at home with his Tex-Mex friends and old college buddies.
Scheffler declared, “I love Austin,” before he began his practice round.
Simple guy. Simple tastes. Amazing career with six PGA Tour wins and a major in just thirteen months.
Match Play: Best merch | Final event in Austin
According to his own admission, his game is satisfying. It’s not a terrible start.
He said, “Form is great.” “I have had many good finishes this year which has been nice. “This calendar year, I have played solid golf.”
Sure, solid.
The Players Championship win by five strokes over Tyrrell Hartton is probably solid. He also defends his title at WM Phoenix Open where he won his first PGA Tour event in February 2022. He also won the Augusta invitational tournament. Scheffler’s old mantra was also fun to use.
It is more than just fun, according to his peers.
Rickie Fowler deadpanned, “Yeah. I mean, he is a pretty decent player.” It’s been great fun to watch. Scottie is a great player and even more so a person. He is easy to root for. He’s a joy to be with.”
That word is back.
Scheffler’s greatest quality is his humility.
Scheffler prefers his bubble to the big time
After winning the Players Championship, he stated that he never thought so highly of himself. I tried to keep my bubble small. I keep striving to improve. “I never looked too far ahead.”
At 26 he’s the same humble, low-key guy he was when he arrived at Texas as a freshman as a Highland Park high school champion. Only one has a higher tax bracket, thanks to his $4.5 million payout at the Players and his career earnings exceeding $32 million.
He is the only exception.
Recently, it was reported that Scheffler no longer drinks coffee while playing in tournaments. When Scheffler was asked if coffee sales have dropped now that Scheffler is not around, Scheffler laughed and reached for a cup of java.
He cracked, noting that the tournament had yet to start.
He was also followed around by Netflix’s cameras for the “Full Swing” docuseries. However, he isn’t as flashy as Brooks Koepka or as colorful as Fowler. Fowler promises to unveil a new line in floral gear this week.
Scheffler stated, “Yeah,” “I think they wanted more access than I gave to them, but …”
Scheffler will happily sit in the shadows, if it’s his choice. Scheffler’s game will not allow him to do that.
Fowler stated, “It’s difficult to really find any weakness in his game,” and that a lot of that is due to that momentum as well as confidence.
The PGA Tour’s fast start hasn’t slowed down.
His maturity and well-rounded game continue to improve at the same rate as his skill level. He is playing better than he was in 2022, when he won PGA Tour player-of-the year honors with the Masters win.
This is what you need to do in order to maintain that level of excellence.
Scheffler stated, “I believe if you took a deep look at my stats you might find a little bit there.” “I hope that I am a little better than last year. “I’ve been playing solid right now, but I don’t do a lot of reflection.”
There is plenty of time to do that later.
Scheffler believes that it is a good idea to not mess with something. Scheffler’s secret weapon is his close circle of friends. His laid-back, non-rewarding style works well for him.
“I think he’s adjusted well to being No. John Fields, Texas’ college mentor and coach who has coached many great golfers including Jordan Spieth, said that he is the No. 1 player in the world. He’s very grounded and that’s a blessing to him.
Scheffler’s adjustments continue to work. Scheffler has had many in his life. His sometimes painful growth spurt — he was 5’1″ and 100 pounds, with some golf balls in his pocket, as a seventh grader, but grew up to 6’3″, 200 pounds, before he started freshman year at Texas A&M. He also had Meredith, his high-school girlfriend, and now his wife, after she studies at Texas A&M. It has been a remarkable experience.
It is better to be grounded and humble than it is to have fun and be flashy.
Scheffler is not one to let distractions get in his way. His steady play is a sign of his calm and under-control nature. Scheffler is focused on the important things in his life, such as his family and marriage, and his public Christian faith. On Tuesday, he was asked if it would be more meaningful to perform at the Masters again since the last day falls on Easter Sunday. It would.
He prefers to be present in the moment and doesn’t get too far ahead.
He is having fun. He’s also winning tournaments. These include big tournaments such as the Players Championship and last year’s Masters.
He attributes his success and quality of life to the people he surrounds him with.
Fields stated that Scottie’s inclusion of Ted Scott as his caddie helped keep things in balance. Since he was a little boy, Randy Smith has been his teacher. Scott and Diane Smith are amazing parents. Meredith is such an calming influence on him. He considers her the most grounded member of his group.
Fields suggests that Scheffler’s and Spieth’s lives are somewhat similar. Both grew up in Dallas and played for the Longhorns. They also married their high school sweethearts. Spieth won a Masters, and has a growing list admirers. The First Family of Golf often traveled with five children in the family station wagon to many Tour stops.
Fields stated that everyone aspires “to be like Jack Nicklaus.” “Both Jordan and Scottie married high school sweethearts. Both will probably have children at some point. Both have won big.”
Nicklaus won 117 tournaments while Scheffler has 111 more to go. The Masters was won by the Longhorn in his third Augusta appearance. Jack tried five times. Just so you know.
Although Scheffler’s six victories on the PGA Tour in the past 13 months have made him a rising star, he still has a lot of work to do before he can even consider playing for Nicklaus’ 18 majors. He’s not driven to achieve those lofty heights. He doesn’t have a lot to aim for.
He has shown great skill in a very short time. His 17-under 271 victory at TPC Sawgrass was the biggest margin of victory in his career. It also made him the only golfer who holds both the Players and Masters titles concurrently. He led Augusta by five shots at the end of the second round, and held off Rory McIlroy (another former No. He won by three strokes and didn’t blink. He won by three strokes.
He now has many concerns and his life can become more complicated if it is not taken care of.
Like , arranging the menu at the Champions Dinner that he will host at the Masters the Tuesday before the tournament begins.
Blake Smith, Meredith, and Blake Smith, the manager, sat down with him and discussed their favorite dishes, such as steak, fried shrimp and mac and cheese. It’s that simple. Scheffler loves it. After enjoying a meal of Georgia’s finest cheeseburger sliders and firecracker shrimp, Scheffler will move on to the next stage of his life: he hopes to win another major and keep this groove going.
Scheffler is about as certain as you can get, despite how deep golf has become these days.
Fowler stated, “Obviously he is a great player.” Sometimes that play happens in waves and you have to ride those waves. His wave was a bit longer than others and quite impressive.
Scheffler is at least being liked by someone. Scottie won’t say it.
