Scottie Scheffler is not entirely sure if he would have won the FedEx Cup had he not had Ted Scott by his side this Sunday. The world’s Number One does not hesitate to give all the credit to his caddie for his reaction on the way to the 9th tee.
He had just played two bad holes and made two bogeys. On the 7th, it happened due to a very poor tee shot, and on the 8th, it was due to the infamous shank, the dreaded unmentionable, from the bunker. In just an hour, his fabulous seven-stroke lead had dwindled to two. Ghosts and unease.
That’s when Scott spoke up. “I was quite frustrated and he told me I was playing great golf, that it had only been two bad holes and that I was still in absolute control of the tournament. He reminded me that I had a two-stroke lead and pointed out something that was vital: if you play as you know how, as you have been doing all week, you are going to win the FedEx Cup, don’t doubt it,” explains Scottie.
His speech was key. Scheffler admits that he stepped onto the 9th tee with a different spirit. “Without his words, I don’t think I would have been able to hit the 4-iron I hit. Ted always tells me the right thing at the right time. It’s one of the keys, one of the main weapons of my golf. There have been many speeches this year that I can’t remember right now. I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for him. I’m sure,” he concludes.
In this regard, he acknowledged that one of the main efforts he has made this week, which has felt long because of starting in the lead even before Thursday, has been on the mental side. “I know that last week at the BMW Championship I was bad. I didn’t behave well and my attitude was not right. My whole team told me at the end of the tournament and for me it was one of the big challenges this week. I think I did very well and, again, it was largely thanks to Ted’s help.”
Another crucial point of the year has been the putt. “Last year I also played great golf from tee to green, but I didn’t win as much simply because I didn’t make as many putts. That’s the difference with this year. The change to the TaylorMade spider putter has been vital, as well as all the work I’ve been doing since the end of last year. It was a matter of giving it time, after debuting it at the Arnold Palmer, and the result has been very good. I remember very important putts that I made to win tournaments, like at the Memorial, THE PLAYERS or Sunday at the Olympics. I’ve managed to make many putts at the right time,” he points out.
Precisely, regarding the Olympics, Scottie made a claim. It came about when he was asked about his assessment of a season with seven victories, in the style of Tiger Woods. “Look, it bothers me a bit that it’s said that I’ve won seven times and the Olympic gold medal is not included. I can’t understand it. With all due respect, it’s as if I had won the Hero World Challenge, just because it’s not an official PGA Tour victory, which I also don’t understand why it’s not. But well, for me it’s eight victories and I’m very proud to have won the Olympic gold because I feel very American.”
Finally, there was no lack of humour in his meeting with journalists after winning the FedEx Cup. When asked what happened in the bunker on hole 8, Scheffler replied: “I hit a shank“. The journalist then insisted: “yes, but why…”. To which Scottie replied with surrealism. “Well, the clubhead has a flat part that you should normally hit the ball with. Then, there’s the neck that connects the blade to the shaft. If you hit it with the neck, the ball goes straight to the right. If I had hit it with the flat part, it would have gone straight, but since I hit it with the neck that’s why it went like that…”, he joked.
Scheffler will now take a week off before preparing for the Presidents Cup, his last tournament of the year.
