A Scottie Scheffler wasn’t too amused by the first question posed to him by journalists during his media session ahead of the Arnold Palmer Invitational. He had been discussing in the introduction before the questions that his victory in this same tournament last year provided a good boost to a season that would later become historic. Immediately after, to break the ice, he was asked if, precisely after his season start marked by his domestic accident with the ravioli, he felt he needed a new boost at Bay Hill.
His expression left no room for doubt. He didn’t like it. First, he responded with “boost for what” and then added a laconic and serious “no”. Silence. Seconds of tension until Scheffler himself cracked a smile and gave a slightly more expansive answer. “I’m here, aren’t I? You know what I mean? It’s always good to play well and I try to take advantage of the momentum from good rounds and good tournaments. There’s no better boost than being tied for the lead on Sunday, having a great round, being able to close the tournament, and going out calmly to play the last holes. Do I feel like I need a push to get something started? No. Would I like to have one? Definitely. Yes, why not?” he clarified.
In the three tournaments of 2025, the World Number One has achieved the following results: 9th, 25th, and 3rd. If viewed as objectively as possible, spotting a crisis or something similar with these records seems excessive; however, at the same time, it’s Scheffler himself who has set the bar so high that it’s legitimate to think they fall a bit short. Perhaps what stands out the most is that in none of those tournaments has he really had a chance to win in the final holes on Sunday.
Be that as it may, what Scheffler made clear today is that no one is going to undermine his confidence. He assures that he has worked very well at home these two weeks without tournaments. He feels rested, happy, and recharged to launch a new attack in this stretch of the season we have now between the Arnold Palmer and the Masters Tournament. A month of full-throttle golf.
Perhaps Scheffler’s reaction simply comes from having had his morale tested enough in recent days. And here is where he recounted a funny anecdote with which he ended his appearance, serving to completely relax the atmosphere with laughter. He was asked if he still enjoys training and playing with friends as he did when he was a child. Scottie said yes and gave the example of last weekend. “I usually play Saturdays and Sundays with friends and I had a great time, it’s fun. That’s the good thing about golf, I can play with a high handicap and give enough strokes for it to be a good competition. It happened to me this weekend. I played with a friend who is a 10 handicap and he beat me,” he explained. Up to this point, all good…
Digging into the wound, the journalist asked if it bothered him to lose, and here comes the funniest moment: “we got to the 18th hole and he was in the bunker. He had to hole out to beat me. I, seeing the shot he had, stepped off the green for fear he might shank it and hit me… And he made it. It was quite funny. I didn’t like losing, I gave him the money we had bet and then said: ‘Thanks, mate, now I have to go play a golf tournament next week, so I appreciate the confidence boost that losing to a 10 handicap has given me.’ (amid laughter).
So, dear 10 handicap, every time you have a bad day, remember this story.
