Scottie Scheffler’s greatness has many layers.
Jordan Spieth explained one aspect of it better than anyone as the world No. 1 stormed to victory at the Open Championship at Royal Portrush.
According to Spieth, Scheffler’s superpower “lies less in the golf swing and more in the personality.” Scottie Scheffler, Spieth said, is a man on the ropes. There he knows exactly what to do, what he wants to do and how to get to that point. But when Scottie Scheffler isn’t working, he’s working not work. He’s just a father and a husband. He can cut loose as soon as the clubs go in the bag and has no interest in using time and energy to monetize his name and talents off the court.
“He has a unique ability to separate, as far as I know,” Spieth said. “It’s more about the difference in personality from any other superstar you’ve seen in modern times and maybe in any sport. I don’t think anyone is quite like him.”
That came just days after Schefler’s existential press conference to open the week at Royal Portrush, where he spoke of the fleeting happiness that comes from winning and explained that while he likes to be good at golf, it “does not fulfill the deepest desires of his heart.”
The ability to not be consumed by golf is liberating for Scheffler. It allows him to plug in and out, which helps him stay on top of his game as he continues to dominate the golf world.
For the better part of the last four years, Scheffler has made everything look easy. He has won twice at Augusta. He became the only player to repeat at the Players. He won the PGA Championship and the Open. He has won here, there and everywhere, leaving the rest of the world’s best looking for ways to close what currently feels like a gap that cannot be bridged.
While all those little things make Scottie Scheffler Scottie Scheffler and separate him from most, there’s something else that allows him to soar above it all. Something that is rarely discussed because it is rarely seen.
But it was there Thursday night in Phoenix, when Scheffler left the course after a bizarre opening-round 73 that put him in danger of missing the cut at TPC Scottsdale. It’s a position we rarely see Scheffler in. It won’t take long to count the number of tournaments in which he has been a real non-factor in recent years. Scheffler hasn’t finished outside the top 10 in a tournament since last year’s Players, when he was still shaking off rust from an offseason ravioli injury. The last time he missed a cut? The 2022 FedEx St. Jude Championship. In the era of no-cut, limited-field events, that statistic doesn’t mean what it used to. But it’s still notable that we rarely see Scottie Scheffler walking around in the middle of the pack, and he doesn’t leave the building early.
Scheffler doesn’t believe in trying to “find” something mid-tournament. For him, the work is in the preparation and you arrive with what you need for the week. But while on the T-86, after an opening-round stumble that included a failed chip, Scheffler got to work. Not to record anything for a future tournament or to prepare for later, but because Scottie Scheffler, like all top athletes, only has one speed. If something needs to be fixed, it will be fixed. There are no ‘bad weeks’ or ‘off days’. To waste an opportunity to improve is to sacrifice something you can’t get back. And because there is still time to win. They won’t hand out the trophies on Thursday.
“Yesterday in the afternoon was kind of a dig-out day,” Scheffler said Friday. “I try to avoid them as much as possible at tournaments, but with the way I felt about the ball yesterday, it was definitely necessary. I was almost so discouraged that I almost didn’t even want to train. I went out and it was well worth it.”
“Look at days like today. I kind of had a terrible day on the golf course yesterday. So to come out today, just stay very patient, especially if you haven’t gotten off to a good start, to stay patient, work it out, get myself back into a position where – I put myself in contention from this exact position in this golf tournament, and it’s one of those places where you can get hot. That’s what I’m going to try to do this weekend.”
Scheffler fixed something in his grip, which led to a better ball-striking day in the second round and a six-under 65 that put him in the top 30. He backed that up with a 67 on Saturday and will have at least an outside chance to win his third WM Phoenix Open on Sunday.
Scottie Scheffler was frustrated Thursday in Phoenix. It was an atypical display of golf’s dominant power. He left the course disappointed because his pre-tournament work, which he is proud of, did not yield the desired results.
So Scottie Scheffler set out on a quest, because part of true greatness is never giving in – never allowing yourself to be complacent with something that doesn’t meet your standards. Never be out of the fight, even though everyone would understand if you were just this once.
“Definitely be very proud of days like today,” Scheffler said after his Friday arraignment. “It’s nice to see myself back in the tournament. Sometimes it feels like there’s nothing worse than missing cuts.
“If you look at the results I’ve had over the last few years, I think my greatest skill is probably being able to stay close to the lead,” Scheffler added on Saturday. “I think one of the things I am most proud of is the consistent results I have achieved over the years.”
Scottie Scheffler left the course on Thursday in a shared 86th place. He has a chance to win on Sunday. If you refuse to let go of the rope, you are always giving yourself a chance.
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