It was sung by David Durán on Monday’s Provisional Ball. And excuse the self-quote, but it makes all the sense. In a loop, Durán, barely taking a breath, repeated incessantly Scheffler-Schauffele, Scheffler-Schauffele, Scheffler-Schauffele, Scheffler-Schauffele, Scheffler-Schauffele, Scheffler-Schauffele, Scheffler-Schauffele, Scheffler-Schauffele, Scheffler-Schauffele, Scheffler-Schauffele, Scheffler-Schauffele, Scheffler-Schauffele… In doing so, it actually sounded like an old steam locomotive, although other perceptive listeners appreciated a printing press, I pick up paper and print, I pick up paper and print, I pick up paper and print… We stick with the locomotive.
Be that as it may, the sense of that phonetic cadence was twofold. On the one hand, it was about pointing to the two big favourites for gold, along with Jon Rahm, in these Paris Olympics. On the other hand, the aim was to remember how similar they are in terms of their behaviour on the golf course. We remember it today, precisely, because Schauffele has been asked about it. If in any way he remembers himself on the field to Scheffler for that, in theory, lack of expressiveness.
Xander, the brilliant champion of the Open Championship at Royal Troon and double winner of the Major in 2024, is delighted to get on the locomotive. “I don’t mind being compared to Scottie. I actually like it. My father always told me that you can’t be one person on the golf course and another off. On the outside I may seem calm, but I can assure you that inside I am very stressed. I have never felt more stressed than at the PGA, before taking the putt to win, and once I put it in I felt relieved. No, I’m not one to throw fists and celebrate big, mainly because I don’t have time to think about how I’m going to celebrate, it doesn’t take up time in my head. I just think about putting it in, finding a way for the putt to go in and nothing else,” he assures.
That, of course, does not mean that he does not celebrate and enjoy victories. “Of course, when I’m alone I do let out the euphoria, but when I’m competing I internalise it because I think it’s best for me. After the Open, for example, I’ve been drinking for three days straight… I tell you, that’s a lot for me, I’m not used to it,” he points out laughing.
Schauffele has won two Majors this year, he comes from winning in Troon and, in addition, he is the defending champion of the Olympic gold medal, although the latter really does not have much value when it comes to making bets. Three years have passed since Tokyo, almost nothing, and obviously the field has very little to do with it. In fact, it should be said that Schauffele is more favoured in France than he was in Japan.
In any case, Schauffele is scary. In that somewhat shy way, with the face of not having broken a dish, without changing his expression, he affirms to the four winds that at the PGA he felt tremendously uncomfortable on Sunday and that, however, in Troon he was much more comfortable with the pressure in the final round. Fasten your seat belts. Let’s see how far this guy goes.
Every time the Games come around, the debate about what the format should be is reignited and today Rahm has opened another melon with the qualification system. Schauffele has weighed in on the first topic. The American likes the format as it is and does not see the point of turning the competition into match play or adding a team mode. “I think it would be a very long tournament and the schedule is already very loaded to add another week. I don’t see how to fit it into a week and doing it in two seems excessive. I don’t see it. If we want all the best to come, the ideal is to leave it in a week. Let’s not forget that in two weeks we have three weeks of FedEx Cup Playoffs,” he assures.
Everyone will have their opinion, but one more week of golf every four years doesn’t seem like a savagery. On the other hand, Schauffele does not enter into the other matter. “I don’t care what the qualification is like. That’s for others to decide. Just tell me what it’s like and I’ll do everything I can to qualify,” he concludes.
