Scheffler grabs all of the attention as he goes hunting Sawgrass three-peat
FLORIDA MAN: Scottie Scheffler signs autographs at Sawgrass this week. Pic: Getty Images
A year ago, Scottie Scheffler accomplished something nobody else was able to do in the first 50 years of the Players Championship – win back-to-back.
Dare we doubt that the most dominant world No. 1 since Tiger Woods’ prime can three-peat in the PGA Tour’s flagship event?
While it might be foolish to bet against him, Scheffler isn’t buying into the theory that his wins in 2023 and ’24 will do him any good when the first round starts.
“What does that have to do with what I’m trying to do this week? I mean, not much, right?” Scheffler said of his unprecedented consecutive wins at TPC Sawgrass. “Like do I start 1-under? Do I start at 2-under? I mean, it’s even par. It’s a new tournament.
“It’s great to have won this tournament the last two years, but can I rely on some of those experiences when I step up on the first tee and give myself a little bit of confidence? Yes. Last year is last year. I’m not trying to replicate it. I’m not trying to look back on it. At the end of the day, it’s in the past. It was a great year. I’m tremendously thankful. I lived a full lifetime in a year. A lot of great things happened, and I’m very thankful for that.
“But when it comes to this year, I’ve never been a guy that sets long-term goals. Like in terms of a season, I have what I would think of as dreams and aspirations, but my goal is to be as prepared as possible when I step up on the first tee and then I want to have a good attitude when I go out and play over each shot. And that’s how I view success.”
That approach has worked beautifully for Scheffler as he won seven official PGA Tour events last year, including the Masters and four signature events, as well as the Olympic gold medal in 2024. In a few weeks when he returns to defend at Augusta, he’ll have owned the No. 1 ranking for more consecutive weeks than any golfer not named Tiger Woods. (He currently sits at 94 straight weeks, two shy of Greg Norman’s 96 from 1995-97.)
Scheffler has become the kind of dominant player that draws the attention of all his peers. The way he comports himself at the head of the class is admirable, and he’s not let go of it since wrenching the top ranking back with a runner-up finish at the 2023 PGA Championship.
“It’s one thing to get to the No. 1 spot in the world, and then it’s another to stay there. I think to stay there almost requires more commitment,” said Rory McIlroy, whose top run of consecutive weeks on top is 54. “I think that’s what Scottie does so well. He’s so committed to his craft, and he’s always working. He’s always trying to get better, and we’re all trying to get better to keep up with him.
“But he’s obviously handled it amazingly well. He seems like he doesn’t really care about anything else apart from just trying to be a good golfer and doing the best that he can. He’s got a great attitude towards it.”
Scheffler backs up that assessment.
“I don’t think about being No. 1,” Scheffler said. “I didn’t go out to the range today feeling like the best player in the world. I showed up feeling like myself, and I went out to try and prepare to play in the golf tournament. … So as far as it goes, yeah, that will be a nice accolade if I make it there, but what does it mean going into the Houston Open or the next tournament? It’s not very much.” Scheffler’s two victories at TPC Sawgrass were very different. Two years ago, he steadily worked his way to the top and refused to let anyone catch him. Last year he fashioned a flawless final-round 64 and set a clubhouse mark that held up as he waited on the range to see if anyone could match him.
“I would say last year this whole tournament was one of the best performances I’ve had in my career, for sure,” he said of a tournament that included him fighting through neck issues that required mid-round therapy. “I think the way I played injured Friday and Saturday to just keep myself in the tournament took a lot of fight, a lot of heart. Definitely did not play golf the way I normally would, but I was so comfortable with my swing at the time that I was able to chip it around and play weird shots and somehow make pars and make some key birdies when I needed to.
“I think about late on Saturday birdieing the last three holes to give myself just an outside chance and getting off to a good start the front nine the next day to put myself up near the lead, I fought really hard all week to have a chance and was fortunate at the end of the week to get it done.”
We’ll see this week if fortunate shines on the favourite a third-straight year.
