“A mí que me registren…”. This has been more or less Scottie Scheffler’s response when asked if he feels his role in the American Ryder Cup team can be compared to Tiger Woods in his time.
All comparisons with the Cypress legend are delicate and complicated to digest. When it comes to titles won, stroke average, Majors conquered, or domination in the world rankings, the mountain is gigantic, but it’s inevitable to crack a smile if your name starts to be paired with his. That’s what’s happening to Scheffler, even though he’s not the one fueling it. Sharing records with Tiger, even if only getting close to them, is an honour. However, things change when it comes to the Ryder Cup.
Beyond the fact that Tiger’s record in that competition doesn’t match his stature as a player (less than 40 percent of points won), it has always been said that his influence on other American players was too heavy. In short, playing with him as a partner was more of a burden than a pleasure. In fact, he has lost twice as many points as he has won in both foursome and fourball. Basically, the conclusion is that playing with Tiger intimidated his partner. That was called aura…
Well, today Scheffler has dodged the question like Morante de la Puebla when asked about this issue. Does he see himself as Tiger Woods in terms of that negative influence he might have on his teammates? “I think in our team we have 12 players who are all the same. I don’t think one player is more important than another. I think that’s something that is conveyed in our locker room. I’d like to think I’m not difficult to pair with. I’d like to consider myself as someone nice and easy to get along with. I’ve had different partners over the years and had some success. I definitely wouldn’t put myself in that category. I think part of the difficulty of playing with Tiger could simply be the aura he had. There were times when he was just winning tournaments and crushing people over and over again (does that sound familiar?). I couldn’t tell you what was difficult for those partners because I wasn’t there. In my case, I’d like to think I’m a guy who’s easy to pair with.”
The next question was a no-brainer… Don’t you think there’s a Scottie Scheffler aura? His response: a big laugh and “no, I don’t think so. I don’t know what else I can add.”
The truth is that his teammates don’t see it that way either, starting with Justin Thomas, one of the players closest to Tiger Woods. “For me, Scottie doesn’t have that Tiger aura, although I also feel I know him well enough that even if he did, I wouldn’t tell him or let it go to his head. He’s very competitive and can get quite ‘playful/teasing’ without saying anything. The last thing I need is for him to know I feel that… Surely for some, he does have it, and rightly so, right?” Having said that, he describes Scheffler as a people’s leader. “He’s one of the 12 when it comes to the team. I think it’s really cool and unique that everyone on our team is like that. Scottie doesn’t get more points for winning a match than I do or J.J. Spaun or Collin Morikawa or Xander. It’s about going out and winning your point. We’re all very happy he’s on our team so we don’t have to figure out how to beat him in an individual tournament,” he noted.
Perhaps the one who best explained the difference between Scheffler and Tiger Woods was Russell Henley, probably the world number one’s partner in this Ryder Cup. “I don’t have extra pressure playing with him. I’ve been friends with Scottie for many years and get along very well with him. I don’t feel that from him. I just enjoy being with him. If I were paired, for example, with Tiger, I’d probably feel a bit different, simply because I grew up watching him, but Scottie is younger than me and I’ve spent so much time with him, I feel differently. There’s a big difference. Tiger was him. Scottie is a friend,” he points out.
When it comes to the Ryder Cup and the comparison with Tiger Woods, the best thing is to run away, and Scheffler knows this better than anyone. In those situations, he won’t be caught.
