PORTRUSH, Northern Ireland — Scottie Scheffler still has a few things to accomplish if he will one day be mentioned alongside of Tiger Woods.
But it’s certainly fair to point out that he is doing things today that should give players of this generation an appreciation for what those competing against Woods had to endure.
Scheffler won the British Open on Sunday, capturing his second major title of the year and fourth overall. He’s now won three of the four majors and will try to complete the career Grand Slam next year when the U.S. Open goes to Shinnecock Hills.
It was also the 10th straight time Scheffler turned an outright 54-hole lead into victory. He won by four shots and it never got closer than that. Although Woods once had a stretch of converting 37 consecutive 54-hole leads into victory, what Scheffler is doing is similar stuff.
“I firsthand got a taste of how good he can be at the Ryder Cup on Whistling that Sunday,” said Jon Rahm of their singles match at the 2021 Ryder Cup. I didn't necessarily play bad. I just never really had a chance to win. I think it's after that a lot of his really good play came, right after that year. So '22 on, obviously, when he won the Masters in '22, you have to acknowledge him as a phenomenal player. Even before that, he was already world class.
“Very few players have been able to do what he's done,” Rahm continued. “He's won three majors in three years. Won nine times last season, and he keeps going on. He's doing what everybody wants to do.”
Scheffler now has 17 PGA Tour victories, accomplished in less than three-and-a-half years. It’s as many two-time U.S. Open champion Curtis Strange produced in a World Golf Hall of Fame career. It’s the same number as Jim Furyk. It’s one behind Julius Boros and Nick Price and just two behind Ernie Els, Ben Crenshaw, Hubert Green and Tom Kite.
He’s already surpassed Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth, two players that offer a cautionary tale that nothing is guaranteed.
Ten years ago, when Spieth won the Masters and the U.S. Open, missed a playoff by a stroke at the Open and finished second at the PGA Championship, he seemed destined to win 25 or more PGA Tour events. But he’s added just two titles since his 2017 Open victory and is stuck on 13. Thomas, after getting to 15 wins in 2022, only this year added the 16th win.
It’s increasingly more difficult to maintain success. Rory McIlroy, who captured the Masters earlier this year for his 29th PGA Tour victory, might be among the few players to ever get to 30 PGA Tour wins again.
It puts in perspective what Woods (82 wins) and Phil Mickelson (45) have accomplished.
“Phenomenal player,” said Tommy Fleetwood on Sunday. “I think having someone like that to keep us looking up to and keep us all chasing, it's great. I think, obviously if he keeps going the way he is, we're all going to look back and talk about him in the same breath as some of the all-time greats, and he's played in our generation.”
If Scheffler can win another tournament this season, that’ll be five victories this year and the second straight year he won at least that many. Woods did that 10 times and had two nine-victory seasons. So some comparisons are premature.
But Scheffler is exhibiting a trait that Woods possesses, which is to get a lead and maintain it (or build on it). He led by four Sunday at the start of the round, birdied the 1st hole, added another at the 5th and even a double bogey at the 8th—his only hole over par across the final 36 holes—barely caused a ripple of concern.
Spieth, who plays often with Scheffler at home in Dallas, said the No. 1-ranked golfer differs from Woods in one big respect.
“He doesn't care to be a superstar,” Spieth said. “He's not transcending the game like Tiger did. He's not bringing it to a non-golf audience necessarily. He doesn't want to go do the stuff that a lot of us go do, corporately, anything like that.
“He just wants to get away from the game and separate the two because I know that he—at one time, he felt it was too much, that he was taking it with him, and whenever he made that switch, I don't know what it was, but he has hobbies. He's always with his family. They're always doing stuff.
“I think it's more so the difference in personality from any other superstar that you've seen in the modern era and maybe in any sport. I don't think anybody is like him.”
The Price of Fame
Scottie Scheffler has had to alter his routine somewhat in the aftermath of all his success. He explained after his victory on Sunday night.
“When I go home, there’s two Chipotles that I eat at near home,” he said. “Actually, not really one anymore. There’s one right where I grew up, kind of near SMU’s campus. If I was to try to go to that Chipotle and try to eat nowadays, it would be very difficult for me.
“There’s another one in a different part of town that I’m not going to tell you where it is, but if I go there, nobody recognizes me ever. So (being) famous is just one of those things.
“In some circles, like right now I'm the best player in the world. This week I was the best player in the world. I'm sitting here with the trophy. We're going to start all over in Memphis (in three weeks), back to even par, show goes on. It's hard to describe what it feels like because, yeah, I don't feel any different because I've won a golf tournament. This is not the be-all, end-all for me, but I'm extremely grateful for it.”
A Ryder Cup Dilemma
Europe hasn’t won the Ryder Cup in the U.S. since 2012, but how do you like the continent’s chances with a team that is likely to consist of Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm, Tyrrell Hatton, Tommy Fleetwood, Shane Lowry, Sepp Straka, Viktor Hovland, Ludvig Aberg, Matt Fitzpatrick, Justin Rose and Nicolai Hojgaard?
There is some firepower on that team and it looks especially daunting when you consider some of the struggles of the Americans.
Scottie Scheffler can only factor in five U.S. points. You need 14 ½ to win the Ryder Cup. Where are the other 9 ½ points going to come from?
Xander Schauffele will be on the team but is not the same player. Will his foursomes partner, Patrick Cantlay – who has missed the cut in the last three major championships – be there?
U.S. Open champion J.J. Spaun has never played in a Presidents Cup or Ryder Cup. Ben Griffin is having a terrific year, but again, no team experience. Russell Henley was a solid player at the Presidents Cup and is a good partner for Scheffler and just had a solid Open. Bryson DeChambeau is a good fit for Bethpage Black. Justin Thomas is having a solid year and has been a strong player for the U.S. but didn’t make the Presidents Cup squad a year ago and was a disappointment during the U.S. loss in Rome. He was just bumped out of the top six.
Collin Morikawa is a lock to be picked if he doesn’t make it on points, but he’s not been good for awhile as he suffers through a frustrating year.
It’s why the idea of Keegan Bradley not being a playing captain appears ludicrous. What four players would you pick over him?
Bradley, who would be the first U.S. Ryder Cup playing captain since Arnold Palmer in 1963, has had a solid season including his victory at the Travelers Championship. He finished tied for 30th at the Open after shooting a final-round 71.
Open runner-up Harris English likely solidified a spot on the team, and Chris Gutterup, who won the Scottish Open and finished third at the Open, certainly has entered the conversation.
Maverick McNealy, Brian Harman, Andrew Novak, Sam Burns, Lucas Glover, Wyndham Clark?
Nobody seems to stand out at this point with four events to be played before the six automatic spots are filled with the remainder to come after the Tour Championship.
A Love for Links
It was good to see several players speak during the last few days on their appreciation for links golf, a lost part of the game that is rarely played outside of the two weeks around the Open.
Later this year, the Dunhill Links Championship played at St Andrews, Carnoustie and Kingsbarns will give DP World Tour players another taste of links golf, although the format is a pro-am which means the courses are set up benignly.
The Irish Open in early September and is sometimes contested on a links but this year it’s at the K-Club near Dublin, an American-style course that hosted the 2006 Ryder Cup. There’s nothing wrong with the venue, but the game could use more links courses and not less.
“There's probably 10 different types of clubs, irons, drivers, woods that you can hit off the tee,” said Brian Harman, who won the Open two years ago at Royal Liverpool and contended over the weekend. “There's different ways to attack into the green, and there's almost always a hill that will kind of kill a shot coming into the green. I just enjoy the creativity and trying to think your way around. You're not forced to hit certain shots. You can kind of do it your own way.”
In other words, bombing it everywhere is not the advantage that it is at most places, especially on the PGA Tour.
Harman admitted he didn’t like links golf at first and was not thrilled with the idea of coming over here. His win at the 2014 John Deere Classic got him in the Open the following week, where he tied for 26th at Royal Liverpool. Although he missed the cut four straight times, Harman persevered and embraced the conditions rather than fought them. He tied for sixth at St. Andrews the year before winning at Hoylake.
“I love coming over here,” he said. “As far as golf, it’s as pure as it gets.”
Many players over the years have fought the style of play, trying to avoid it except for the Open, worrying that playing in wind and hitting lower shots and figuring out bounces and slope would be a detriment to their games.
Bryson DeChambeau has admitted he’s struggled with links golf because of the way he hits the ball. His high, towering shots and dialed-in numbers don’t always work at a place where feel is far more important. But to his credit, after a poor opening round at the Open, he rebounded with a second-round 65 to make the cut and then had a strong weekend to finish tied for 10th.
At one time, Tom Watson hated links golf, even though he had won his first Open in 1975. But he learned to accept the bad bounces and became one of the best ever, winning the tournament five times.
Phil Mickelson famously took years to figure it out and then won the Open in 2013 at age 43. Perhaps DeChambeau will eventually figure it out, his skills otherwise too good to struggle.
“I know a lot of guys really just enjoy this golf course, enjoy the fans over here, enjoy the town of Portrush as well as down the road (in) Portstewart,” said Rickie Fowler, who played at Portstewart last week.
Tyrrell Hatton played a nine-hole links earlier in the week called Ballyreagh. “It was nice to go out there,” Hatton said. “We played in a six-ball and it was nice to just take your mind off part of the stress of this week. It was nice to actually go out there and almost feel like a kid and just enjoy it. I feel it’s easy to miss that when you’re just going tournament to tournament.”
Hatton is from England and was obviously more likely to play links golf growing up. Same with Tommy Fleetwood and numerous players from the UK. Rory McIlroy didn’t grow up on a links in Northern Ireland but had plenty of experience at it.
But in order to play among the best in the world, McIlroy needed to adapt his game more to the U.S. style of play. Figuring out links golf again then becomes more of a challenge.
Still, it was nice to hear so many players speak positively about the experience. The game is in many ways simpler on links courses, which typically don’t have forced carries and big hazards. Sure, the pot bunkers are a problem, but trying to avoid them is part of the fun. And for those of us who don’t always hit it the exact distance, landing it short and watching it roll onto the green is a nice way to play.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as With His British Open Victory, Scottie Scheffler Raises the Bar.