Can anybody cease Scottie Scheffler if he is placing properly?

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — On a scorching Sunday at Colonial Nation Membership in Fort Price, Texas, in late Could, Scottie Scheffler had simply tied for third within the Charles Schwab Problem, lacking a playoff with eventual winner Emiliano Grillo and Adam Schenk by one stroke.

Scheffler had as soon as once more led the sector in strokes gained: tee to inexperienced, even making an ace on the par-3 eighth gap within the last spherical. After signing his scorecard, a reporter requested Scheffler a query that left him bewildered: “How are you going to show this factor round?”

On the time, Scheffler was the No. 1-ranked golfer on the planet and had put collectively an unbelievable streak of 14 consecutive finishes within the high 12 in official PGA Tour occasions, together with victories on the WM Phoenix Open and the Gamers Championship.

“I might already gained twice that yr,” Scheffler mentioned. “I used to be primary on the planet. I hadn’t completed exterior of [12th], I believe, all yr. … I used to be like, ‘All proper, let’s pump the brakes. I am not far off. I am enjoying good golf.'”

Recent off his seventh PGA Tour victory finally week’s Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill, Scheffler remains to be ranked No. 1 on the planet. This week, the 27-year-old will attempt to change into the primary back-to-back champion within the fiftieth Gamers Championship at TPC Sawgrass.

By nearly any measurement, Scheffler has put collectively probably the most spectacular runs of consistency in PGA Tour historical past over the previous yr.

Since Scheffler ran away with a 5-shot win for his sixth victory in 13 months on the 2023 Gamers Championship, he has completed within the high 10 in 16 of his 20 begins in official tour occasions, together with 12 top-fives. Along with his second victory in three years at Bay Hill, he additionally captured the Hero World Problem, an unofficial occasion within the Bahamas that featured a 20-man subject of elite gamers.

He was runner-up twice and completed third 5 occasions. Scheffler hasn’t missed a reduce in 19 months and posted a rating underneath par in every of the 23 rounds he performed this season.

In response to Knowledge Golf, Scheffler has gained 2.84 strokes on the sector over the previous yr, which is greater than a half-stroke higher than every other participant on tour and greater than a full stroke higher than all however 4 gamers (Xander Schauffele, Rory McIlroy, Viktor Hovland and Patrick Cantlay). This season, he leads the tour in photographs gained: complete (2.497) and tee-to-green (2.572) and is second in method (1.198), a testomony to his world-class iron play that rivals Tiger Woods’ ballstriking on the top of his profession.

“He is been tremendous constant,” McIlroy mentioned. “I believe being as constant as Scottie has been is de facto, actually tough on this sport. Anybody can pop up and win an occasion right here or there or get on run, however the constant performances that Scottie’s been placing in week-in and week-out each time he tees it up, it’s unbelievable.”

But, till Scheffler had a scorching putter on the Arnold Palmer Invitational final week, probably the most mentioned questions within the sport was what was protecting him from discovering his placing rhythm on the greens and what he wanted to do to beat the hurdle to win once more.

“I believe it is a psychological battle simply to remain affected person as a result of I believe when you could have the highlight like I’ve had on me for the previous yr and a half, it is a actually excellent spot to be,” Scheffler mentioned. “However it’s additionally not a straightforward place to play from once you’re getting knit-picked on each transfer.”

Going into final week’s event, Scheffler ranked 144th on tour in strokes gained: placing, dropping practically a half-stroke to the sector. He already had 11 three-putts this season. He has missed 5 putts from 6 toes, three from 5 toes, six from 4 toes and two from 3 toes.

For a golfer whose ballstriking and work across the inexperienced has been practically unparalleled, his incapacity to constantly make putts was a paradox that perplexed even Scheffler himself.

After the third spherical of final month’s Genesis Invitational at Riviera Nation Membership exterior Los Angeles, Scheffler sat on a bench within the ladies’s locker room, which was being utilized because the scoring tent that week. For greater than quarter-hour, he mentioned the topic that had nearly change into taboo for others to convey up round him.

“I believe that is what I like about golf is you possibly can by no means good it,” Scheffler mentioned. “I imply, I believe that is a part of the factor with my placing. I believe individuals simply anticipate me to point out up and since I hit it actually good, then I also needs to make each putt. That is simply not a sensible expectation. I’ll have good weeks, I’ll have unhealthy weeks.

“I believe that is why I like golf a lot, simply because I am at all times working to try to get just a little bit higher at a time. I am by no means going to resolve the puzzle, however getting in there, placing within the work, is form of what I take pleasure in about it.”

On the finish of final yr, after Scheffler’s issues on the greens grew to become so profound that he introduced in famend placing coach Phil Kenyon to assist on the Ryder Cup in Italy, he watched movies of Woods’ tournaments on YouTube to assist him put issues in perspective.

“There’s by no means been an ideal golfer,” Scheffler mentioned. “I imply, they used to tear his ass aside on the protection if he did not win the golf event. When you return and watch it is fairly unbelievable. And he is by far the very best golfer that we have ever seen for a cut-off date. And if he wasn’t profitable golf tournaments, they have been ripping him.”

Woods gained 82 occasions in 374 begins on tour, about as soon as each 4½ begins. The 15-time main champion is thought to be one of many biggest putters of all-time. From 2002 to 2005, Woods missed solely three of 1,543 putts from inside 3 toes.

“It is not [that] they have been doing it on objective, they simply anticipated perfection out of the man, and it is unattainable in our sport,” Scheffler mentioned. “That may be an incredible place for me to be if I am not profitable golf tournaments. It would be like, ‘Why is not Scottie profitable golf tournaments?’ That may be wonderful.”

That is precisely the place Scheffler discovered himself earlier than he gained once more on the Arnold Palmer Invitational. After switching to a mallet putter, Scheffler made every of his final 23 putts from inside 15 toes. He one-putted every of the final seven holes within the third spherical to seize a share of the lead, then blitzed the sector with a 6-under 66 on Sunday to win.

“I am not anticipating to point out up daily and make each single putt and by no means miss a putt once more,” Scheffler mentioned. “I am simply making an attempt to manage what I can management and hit good putts and be free on the greens. And I might say that might be form of the largest problem of it when the story desires to be created that I am unable to putt as a result of I’ve gained seven occasions within the final two years, a serious, a Gamers, a bunch of elevated occasions. I do not assume I am that unhealthy.”

Many individuals had theories on why Scheffler was struggling a lot on the greens. On the Genesis Invitational, McIlroy urged to CBS Sports activities that Scheffler ought to use a mallet putter as an alternative of a blade mannequin (it appears he was proper). Scheffler performed with a TaylorMade Spider Tour X mallet putter on the API and caught fireplace on the greens.

Former PGA Tour professional and Golf Channel analyst Brandel Chamblee, who hardly ever is afraid to supply his opinion, puzzled whether or not Kenyon was the suitable coach to repair Scheffler’s flaws (it appears he was flawed).

“I’ve little question that Phil Kenyon is aware of numerous various things because it pertains to placing, however he is been working with him since earlier than the Ryder Cup, so, we’re sneaking up on greater than half a yr,” Chamblee mentioned on the Golf Channel final week. “I really feel like most gamers who make substantive adjustments of their placing, I believe you’d know inside 10 minutes on the placing inexperienced.”

All of the whereas, Scheffler believed his placing stroke was higher than a yr in the past when there have been quite a lot of occasions he instantly knew putts inside 10 toes had no probability of going within the gap. He hit too many putts on the heel of the putter and wasn’t beginning them on his chosen line.

Regardless of the struggles this season, he believed his putts would begin falling finally.

“I’ve cleaned up numerous that to the place most of my putts are beginning throughout the realm of the place they need to go in and it is thrilling for me,” Scheffler mentioned. “No, I am not going to putt nice each single week, however I am additionally not going to reside as much as individuals’s expectations of what I ought to do on the golf course.”

Possibly that is Scheffler’s largest dilemma — that he is so good in each different a part of his sport that we have grown to anticipate perfection from him on the greens as properly.

“It positively is irritating as a result of I have not actually struggled with one thing for some time in golf, and it is positively come to the purpose now the place anytime I do one thing poorly on the greens is the very first thing that individuals need to write about,” Scheffler mentioned at The Genesis.

“And once you’re hitting the ball nearly as good as I’m, it is probably not that straightforward to make all of your putts. It is loads simpler to chip it beneath the outlet to eight toes and roll in that eight footer and achieve half a shot than it’s to hit a 5-iron in there and have a downhill, left-to-right 8-footer and make that putt. It is simply not as straightforward, and that is a easy reality.”

And now the participant that rival golfers feared — the world-class ballstriker with masterful creativeness and contact across the greens who additionally putts properly — appears able to take off once more.

“He is the No. 1 participant on the planet for a purpose,” Will Zalatoris mentioned. “The child’s been a world beater his total profession — junior golf, newbie golf, school golf, and now on the skilled degree. Yeah, I do not ever need to say that you simply anticipate it and throw these expectations on somebody, however I’d say I am positively not stunned.”

Added reigning U.S. Open champion Wyndham Clark: “It will be borderline unfair if he begins placing actually good. I by no means need to want sick on anyone, but when he begins placing constructive every week, it will be actually exhausting to beat [him].”

Even McIlroy, the No. 2 golfer on the planet, acknowledged the sleeping large he may need unintentionally helped awaken with the Masters, the primary main championship of the season, proper across the nook.

“All of us knew that he had this in him,” McIlroy mentioned. “His ball hanging is, truthfully, on one other degree in comparison with everybody else proper now. We knew if he began to gap putts, then this form of stuff would occur.”