Scottie Scheffler is certainly one of sport’s most intriguing enigmas.
He’s a World No. 1 whose ft fly in all instructions when he swings the membership. He’s a relentless winner who says victories don’t actually matter to him. He’s a person star who can’t appear to fathom staff golf.
Most assume that the New York-born and Texas-bred star is a riddle who can’t be solved, however would possibly there have been a second in his previous that explains every part? Guess what? There may need been.
The stats
First, let’s have a look at the numbers which do point out a definite distinction between Scheffler earlier than his first PGA Tour win and Scheffler since then.
He graduated from the second tier Korn Ferry Tour in late 2019 and in his first 61 begins he didn’t declare one one victory regardless of heading into the ultimate spherical within the high six on a minimum of 15 events.
The primary win was the 2022 Phoenix Open at TPC Scottsdale and it prompted a rush of success.
Within the brief run it was the primary of 4 victories in simply six begins together with his first main championship, the identical 12 months’s Masters at Augusta Nationwide.
However the wins have by no means stopped coming.
Since and together with that win in Phoenix, Scheffler has been tied sixth or higher 46 occasions forward of the ultimate spherical in 84 begins – and he has gained 21 of them.
So he’s not solely contending extra usually (55% towards 25%), he’s additionally profitable extra (0% towards 25%).
How did it occur?
Outdated Scottie
A key factor of the Scheffler turnaround was revealed within the Netflix collection ‘Full Swing’ when the caddie Ted Scott talked about how he was approached in late 2021 about begin working with Scheffler.
Scott instructed the present that he stated to Scheffler: “I don’t know if I wish to give you the results you want due to your perspective.”
He additionally added: “Once I posed that query to him, he stated, ‘That’s a good query and I’m keen to work on it.’”
In the identical episode Scheffler defined: “I used to battle anger points. I used to get too annoyed. Golf was too essential to me. That’s form of the place I positioned my id for a very long time. I attempt to not change an excessive amount of however I wanted to vary one thing.”
Scott was impressed by Scheffler’s honesty and agreed to turn into his new bagman. “All I want is a bit of little bit of hope and I’m keen to get behind anyone,” he stated. “So I made a decision to take the job and right here we’re.”
New Scottie
Spin it ahead to this summer season’s Open and Scheffler’s pre-championship press convention. It was a 15-minute chat that might immediate a thousand speculations.
On shedding he stated: “It sucks. I hate it. I actually do.”
However on profitable he added: “This isn’t the be all and finish all. This isn’t an important factor in my life. That’s what I wrestle with: Why is that this so essential to me?
“Is it nice to have the ability to win tournaments and to perform the issues I’ve within the sport of golf? Yeah, it brings tears to my eyes simply to consider as a result of I’ve actually labored my complete life to be good at this sport.
“However this isn’t a satisfying life. It’s fulfilling from the sense of accomplishment, nevertheless it’s not fulfilling from a way of the deepest locations of your coronary heart.
“That’s one thing that I wrestle with every day. Why do I wish to win so badly? As a result of, if I do win, it’s going to be superior for 2 minutes then we’re going to get to the following week.
“I really like with the ability to play this sport for a dwelling. It’s one of many biggest joys of my life, however does it fill the deepest desires and wishes of my coronary heart? Completely not.”
The distinction
Put merely, earlier than Ted Scott delivered his ultimatum to Scheffler, he received “too annoyed”, golf was “too essential” to him, it was the place he positioned his id, and he didn’t win.
Since then he has realised, “This isn’t the be all and finish all, this isn’t an important factor in my life” – and he can’t cease profitable.
A major change in strategy; a staggering impression on his returns.
The way it impacts the Ryder Cup
When a wonderful Group USA dominated a poor European aspect on Scheffler’s Ryder Cup debut in 2021 he gained two matches and halved his third.
However in Rome he struggled with two halves and three defeats. In actual fact, a type of losses, a Saturday morning foursomes 9&7 thrashing, left him in tears.
It was little higher this 12 months in New York: he misplaced 4 matches with companions and solely gained his singles.
His total foursomes report is abysmal (0-for-4) and he’s solely gained two factors from all 9 matches performed with a companion. In distinction, he has gained two and halved certainly one of this three singles matches.
Maybe Scheffler’s secret taking part in for himself (“it’s not the be all and finish all”) simply doesn’t work when he’s taking part in alongside a companion and while flying the Stars and Stripes.
Many have surmised Scheffler must care extra within the Ryder Cup.
However possibly he must care much less.
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