Scottie Scheffler is at the centre of all eyes. Logical. Five victories this season endorse him as the main candidate for the US Open 2024 which starts tomorrow Thursday. First Scheffler and then the rest.
Beyond speculations and favourites, the clamour around the figure of the World Number One is unanimous. Press, golf fans and, above all, his professional colleagues are amazed at what Scheffler is doing.
There have been many players who have publicly expressed this week the admiration they feel for the streak that the Texan is chaining. Because, when you hear them speak in the first person about Scheffler, there is no resentment or envy at what his rival is doing. Logically they would want to be Scottie, but when you hear them you find colleagues who fall surrendered to a streak that is already stratospheric. A mix of admiration and respect. No one better than them knows how difficult it is to play golf, no one better than them understands the feat that he is achieving. Rory, Hovland, Rahm, Dechambeau and Schauffele are just some of those who have lavished praise in the last few hours.
McIlroy has been one of the most accurate in explaining the personality of the Number One and has found a word that defines him perfectly: “He is relentless“, and then he has explained it perfectly: “A lot has happened in his life, he has just had a child, he has had difficulties with the putter that he has been able to solve, it’s not that he hasn’t had difficulties, it’s that he is relentless”. There have been many praises to the Texan, but with this one Rory, has hit the bullseye, and laughing he added: “only an hour in jail has been able to keep him from victory. The reality is that every time he plays, he is the man to beat, and rightly so. I think he has played 14 or 13 times this year, and only once has he been out of the top 10. It seems like he is always in the fight for the tournament”.
Scheffler has a privileged head and that’s what his colleagues say. Jon Rahm in a very fine and delicate way has said: “He is doing everything right, but when someone is so good, there comes a point where what is between the ears is the biggest asset”. No further explanations are needed. The player from Barrika himself puts dimension to what is being lived: “When you start to be compared with Tiger and the things that Tiger has done, that’s when you know you are at a level that is quite special”.
The word chosen by Viktor Hovland is probably the one any golf fan expresses right now when thinking about Scottie’s streak: impressive. “Obviously, we can play well and compete against him when we play well, but he seems to have that impressive game every week, he is taking the level of consistency to another category. It’s impressive. You can have a good streak, but then most of the time you go back to a normal week. But his average week is very, very good. It’s very, very impressive to see”. He repeated the word three times in just thirty seconds.
Bryson DeChambeau wanting to find the formula of Coca Cola spoke directly with Scheffler himself to ask him the recipe for his streak. Simple as he is, the Number One simply answered: “I don’t know, I just play golf”, and in that phrase also condenses another very characteristic trait of the Texan, simplicity. To which DeChambeau wanted to highlight that his level of play is huge: “He has full control of his golf swing and has solved a lot of his problems with the putt. He plays incredibly strategic golf from what I see. He doesn’t go crazy. He just hits the right shots at the right time. That’s the recipe for success, and he’s been able to do it for longer than anyone”.
What everyone agrees on is that his level is a spur for everyone. No one wants to look at him from below, they want to be at his height. Jon himself highlighted: “As a competitor, obviously it’s an added motivation to see someone doing so well, because that’s what we all aspire to. And as a golf fan, it’s absolutely incredible to see him” to which Hovland adds: “It makes me work harder and motivates me to improve and try to compete against him”.
However, as the recent champion of the PGA Championship, Xander Schauffele acknowledges: “I think with work I can reach him, but somehow every result he achieves starts to build an even higher mountain and complicates that we can climb it”. Motivation to imitate him, but it starts to touch the unattainable.
Scheffler himself has reacted to the praises that all his colleagues have expressed in recent days and more in such an individualistic sport where many times they are looking for ways to tickle the rival: “It’s nice to hear everything they are saying and I appreciate it, hearing some compliments from time to time is fine. I am grateful for the friendships I have on the Circuit and it is a joy to be here and playing with all of them. At these times, I always remember the support they gave me when they chose me to play the Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits when I had not yet won any tournament. I am very grateful”. He does not shy away from praise, he welcomes and thanks them, a true World Number One.
