In Provisional Ball, our podcast at Ten-Golf, we have been referring lately to a theory that is gaining followers day by day that we could summarize with a ‘put a Scottie Scheffler in your life’. The American, undisputed Number One in the world today, combines like few others an amazing power when playing golf with a naturalness unbecoming of a great sports star.
In this sense, Tony Finau was asked this Tuesday, in the preview of the Texas Children’s Houston Open, about his relationship with Scheffler as tour mates. A moment that the golfer from Salt Lake City took the opportunity to tell the story of the first day he realized that Scottie was a special player… sharing a round in a tournament.
“The first time I played with Scottie, I really didn’t know who he was because he was a rookie on the PGA Tour. It was at the TPC Boston. I think it was in 2017 or 2018, his rookie year. We were playing together and after nine holes I think he was about 7 under or something like that. I wasn’t paying attention, I was focused on my own game. We got to the 17th hole and there he made another birdie. I look at my caddie and say ‘dude, this kid has to be 8 or 9 under’, and my caddie tells me, how about 11?”, began Finau referring specifically to the 2020 Northern Trust.
“As if that wasn’t enough, he made a birdie on the last hole and a card of 59. I was playing with him and it was the first time I heard of him, it was the first time I played with him. You can get an idea… Well, maybe it wasn’t the first time I heard of him, but I vaguely knew who he was because he came from the Korn Ferry Tour. I knew he was a good player. But that was the first time I played with Scottie, he made a 59 at the TPC Boston and from that moment I knew he was special”, he detailed.
“In recent years I have been his teammate on some of the Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup teams, I have gotten to know him and I have played with him a handful of times. When he won the Masters, I played with him the first two rounds and it was evident to me from that very Friday that he was going to put on the Green Jacket. I played enough rounds with him to know what a great player he is, but I think it doesn’t surpass the person he is, I think he is a fantastic guy for our sport and it’s great to see all the success he is having”, he concluded.
