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SOUTHPORT, England – It had been so long since Scottie Scheffler missed the cut on the PGA Tour that the World Cup hadn’t even started yet — that would be the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, not the one being held at the moment in the United States.
But the unthinkable happened as the world No. 1 proved that he’s human, missing the cut at last week’s Genesis Scottish Open, his first time doing so in 78 starts on Tour dating to the 2022 FedEx St. Jude Championship. How did it feel to have a rare weekend off?
“I don't think it hurts as much as coming close to winning and finishing second," Scheffler said. "I felt like coming in second at Travelers hurt more than missing the cut, but missing the cut is significantly more frustrating is how I would describe it."
Scheffler noted that one of his friends on the Tour jotted out a long text with all the possible options of things he could do having missed the cut — from practicing at the range to going to the gym or heading straight to the next tournament. Scheffler said his friend held off on sending the text — probably too soon — but told him about it.
“I was like, ‘Oh, you should have sent it.’ I was a bit lost,” Scheffler cracked.
In fact, Scheffler did go to the gym on Saturday and then headed for Royal Birkdale, a strip of England's largest and most dramatic sand dunes and site of this week’s 154th British Open, where he is the defending champion. He proceeded to play 18 holes on Sunday in front of several hundred curious spectators who were delighted to be able to see the most dominant golfer since Tiger Woods in the flesh rather than on TV. Now the question is, was last week a blip on the radar, or is there reason for concern that Scheffler is off his game?
Jim “Bones” Mackay, who will be walking the fairways for NBC Sports this week, expects the extra rest and chance to reset will make Scheffler “that much more of a force.”
“I expect the fact that he did miss the cut this week to light something of a fuse that much more underneath him,” Mackay said during a media conference call last week. “Certainly, he hasn’t been quite at the level of play that we saw him last year in terms of what he’s done this year, but he’s still Scottie Scheffler, and my gosh, the intestinal fortitude that guy has is second to none on the PGA Tour, and I expect him to rebound in a big way next week.”
When Scheffler defeated Harris English by four strokes to win The Open at Royal Portrush last year and capture his fourth major title, it marked his fourth of six wins on the season, including the PGA Championship. He became just the third golfer to win multiple majors by four or more strokes in a single year, joining Ben Hogan (Masters, U.S. Open and British Open) and Tiger Woods (2000 U.S. Open and British Open). This season, he won The American Express in his season debut but is winless in his last 13 starts.
“If you look at a football team that's made it really far each year in the NFL, it's really hard to continue to do that each and every year,” Scheffler explained. “I feel like I'm at a point in the season where we've played a lot of golf. I've played a lot of high-level golf for a few years now. Later in the season, I think sometimes you get a little bit more tired.”
Scheffler isn't exactly mired in a slump. He still leads the Tour in Strokes Gained: Total (2.154), greens in regulation (72.22 percent), scoring average (68.94) and birdie average (4.76 per round). This marks the 200th week that he’s stood at the top of the mountain as world No. 1.
“He is the bar that we’re all trying to get to,” world No. 2 Rory McIlroy said. “In a historical context, you could argue that there’s only maybe two or three players in the history of the game that have been on a run like the one that Scottie’s been on.”
So, how does Scheffler put last week behind him to mount a successful title defense and retention of the Claret Jug and title of Champion Golfer of the Year? Only four players have defended The Open during the last 60 years — Lee Trevino (1972), Tom Watson (1983), Tiger Woods (2006) and Padraig Harrington (2008).
Duncan Simpson, director of the Teevens Center, Dartmouth's research and programming hub dedicated to student well-being, leadership, and performance, said that after a setback athletes face two opponents: “The course and the story they’re telling themselves,” Simpson said. “The players who contend at majors are usually the ones who refuse to let last week become this week's mental opponent."
He continued: “Major championships don't necessarily identify the player with the highest ceiling — they expose the player with the highest emotional stability. Over four days, everyone experiences doubt, frustration and momentum swings. The winner is often the athlete whose internal state fluctuates the least while everything around them does — something Scheffler has done exceptionally well to get him to the point he's at now. "
At his Tuesday press conference, Scheffler sounded like a man who has convinced himself that missing a cut before the final major of the season was actually a good thing, or, as he put it, “it wasn't the worst thing in the world.” He said he’s at peace and the competitor in him is ready to do battle before an eight-month wait to the next major.
“If losing didn't hurt so much, it might be easier to come out and play,” he said. “But then again when I retire and I sit back, I'm going to miss the feeling of waking up in the morning and not being able to eat breakfast because your stomach hurts because you're anticipating the day.”
Adam Schupak is a senior writer for Golfweek covering the PGA Tour.
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Coming off first missed cut in 4 years, Scottie Scheffler set to defend Open title
Continue reading...
But the unthinkable happened as the world No. 1 proved that he’s human, missing the cut at last week’s Genesis Scottish Open, his first time doing so in 78 starts on Tour dating to the 2022 FedEx St. Jude Championship. How did it feel to have a rare weekend off?
“I don't think it hurts as much as coming close to winning and finishing second," Scheffler said. "I felt like coming in second at Travelers hurt more than missing the cut, but missing the cut is significantly more frustrating is how I would describe it."
Scheffler noted that one of his friends on the Tour jotted out a long text with all the possible options of things he could do having missed the cut — from practicing at the range to going to the gym or heading straight to the next tournament. Scheffler said his friend held off on sending the text — probably too soon — but told him about it.
“I was like, ‘Oh, you should have sent it.’ I was a bit lost,” Scheffler cracked.
In fact, Scheffler did go to the gym on Saturday and then headed for Royal Birkdale, a strip of England's largest and most dramatic sand dunes and site of this week’s 154th British Open, where he is the defending champion. He proceeded to play 18 holes on Sunday in front of several hundred curious spectators who were delighted to be able to see the most dominant golfer since Tiger Woods in the flesh rather than on TV. Now the question is, was last week a blip on the radar, or is there reason for concern that Scheffler is off his game?
Jim “Bones” Mackay, who will be walking the fairways for NBC Sports this week, expects the extra rest and chance to reset will make Scheffler “that much more of a force.”
“I expect the fact that he did miss the cut this week to light something of a fuse that much more underneath him,” Mackay said during a media conference call last week. “Certainly, he hasn’t been quite at the level of play that we saw him last year in terms of what he’s done this year, but he’s still Scottie Scheffler, and my gosh, the intestinal fortitude that guy has is second to none on the PGA Tour, and I expect him to rebound in a big way next week.”
When Scheffler defeated Harris English by four strokes to win The Open at Royal Portrush last year and capture his fourth major title, it marked his fourth of six wins on the season, including the PGA Championship. He became just the third golfer to win multiple majors by four or more strokes in a single year, joining Ben Hogan (Masters, U.S. Open and British Open) and Tiger Woods (2000 U.S. Open and British Open). This season, he won The American Express in his season debut but is winless in his last 13 starts.
“If you look at a football team that's made it really far each year in the NFL, it's really hard to continue to do that each and every year,” Scheffler explained. “I feel like I'm at a point in the season where we've played a lot of golf. I've played a lot of high-level golf for a few years now. Later in the season, I think sometimes you get a little bit more tired.”
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Scheffler isn't exactly mired in a slump. He still leads the Tour in Strokes Gained: Total (2.154), greens in regulation (72.22 percent), scoring average (68.94) and birdie average (4.76 per round). This marks the 200th week that he’s stood at the top of the mountain as world No. 1.
“He is the bar that we’re all trying to get to,” world No. 2 Rory McIlroy said. “In a historical context, you could argue that there’s only maybe two or three players in the history of the game that have been on a run like the one that Scottie’s been on.”
So, how does Scheffler put last week behind him to mount a successful title defense and retention of the Claret Jug and title of Champion Golfer of the Year? Only four players have defended The Open during the last 60 years — Lee Trevino (1972), Tom Watson (1983), Tiger Woods (2006) and Padraig Harrington (2008).
Duncan Simpson, director of the Teevens Center, Dartmouth's research and programming hub dedicated to student well-being, leadership, and performance, said that after a setback athletes face two opponents: “The course and the story they’re telling themselves,” Simpson said. “The players who contend at majors are usually the ones who refuse to let last week become this week's mental opponent."
He continued: “Major championships don't necessarily identify the player with the highest ceiling — they expose the player with the highest emotional stability. Over four days, everyone experiences doubt, frustration and momentum swings. The winner is often the athlete whose internal state fluctuates the least while everything around them does — something Scheffler has done exceptionally well to get him to the point he's at now. "
You must be registered for see images
At his Tuesday press conference, Scheffler sounded like a man who has convinced himself that missing a cut before the final major of the season was actually a good thing, or, as he put it, “it wasn't the worst thing in the world.” He said he’s at peace and the competitor in him is ready to do battle before an eight-month wait to the next major.
“If losing didn't hurt so much, it might be easier to come out and play,” he said. “But then again when I retire and I sit back, I'm going to miss the feeling of waking up in the morning and not being able to eat breakfast because your stomach hurts because you're anticipating the day.”
Adam Schupak is a senior writer for Golfweek covering the PGA Tour.
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Coming off first missed cut in 4 years, Scottie Scheffler set to defend Open title
Continue reading...
