With his coach Randy Smith and his caddie Ted Scott behind him, Scheffler pulled out a membership and took some hacks below the vary lights. Smith and Scott stared into the telephone, its digital camera geared toward Scheffler’s swing.
“I don’t know what they’re doing! He’s hit one unhealthy shot this week. He’s hit the ball superbly! They can’t be engaged on something,” Paul McGinley mentioned in Irish exasperation as he and Brandel Chamblee watched on throughout Golf Channel’s “Live From” broadcast.
Here’s the factor: They weren’t engaged on a rattling factor. “We mess with Brandel and (Paul McGinley) up there within the sales space,” Smith instructed The Athletic.
They had been killing time as Scheffler waited for a therapeutic massage appointment, and Smith and Scott noticed the crimson gentle go on the “Live From” set throughout the vary and determined to have some enjoyable. “Hey, Scottie, go faux you’re swinging.”
“Ted pulls out his telephone,” Smith recalled, “We’re trying on the telephone. They assume we’re his swings. We’re not. We’re watching a Desi Arnaz and Lucy video!”
Because proper now, Scottie Scheffler doesn’t have a lot to work on. He went on to win that Masters in April for his second inexperienced jacket. He received once more the subsequent week in Hilton Head for his fourth win in 5 begins. Two months later, he received the Travelers Championship on Sunday for his sixth win in 10 begins. He’s abruptly the primary participant since Arnold Palmer in 1962 to win six tournaments earlier than July.
It was already protected to name this the very best PGA Tour season in roughly a decade. Scheffler has been on the very best three-year ball-striking run since peak Tiger Woods. The superlatives are effectively documented. But now, Scheffler is taking his run into the dialog for the very best seasons of all time.
Scottie throws it in shut, and Tom Kim finds the bunker on the primary playoff gap. pic.twitter.com/HT0CJj5TgE
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) June 23, 2024
In the PGA Tour period when there was an precise, organized tour (just about the Seventies on), everyone knows how a lot Woods received, compiling six completely different seasons of six or extra wins. The file for PGA Tour wins in a season is 9 — Woods in 2000 and Vijay Singh in 2004. Only two different gamers even reached that fashionable six-win membership, Tom Watson in 1980 and Nick Price in 1994.
So the place does Scheffler’s marketing campaign rank? And how a lot additional can we go?
There’s context for most of the others. Singh’s 2004 is, certainly, one of many best seasons ever. He received 9 occasions, together with the PGA Championship, and racked up 18 prime 10s. But the season had a special, longer format again then with the Tour Championship in November. Singh’s fourth win got here in his twenty second begin, and his ninth got here in his thirtieth begin. Scheffler possible received’t make one other begin after the Tour Championship in August and may make 20 begins all season. That doesn’t reduce Singh’s achievement. It’s simply completely different.
Unless Scheffler wins a grand slam some day, no person is catching Tiger Woods’ 2000 (3 majors, 9 wins). That’s in a tier of its personal. And for the sake of comparability, we received’t hassle utilizing the unimaginable pre-modern period seasons like Byron Nelson’s 1945 (18 wins, together with one main!) or Bobby Jones’ 1930 (all 4 majors).
If Scheffler doesn’t win once more, this season already ought to go down as one of many 10 finest years ever. On pure wins, it will be behind Tiger’s two or three finest, Jordan Spieth’s breakout 2015 (5 wins, two majors) in addition to Singh, Nicklaus (1972) and Palmer (1960, 1962).
But considering of it this fashion leaves out two issues.
One: Golf isn’t a zero-sum sport. It would go away out the seven different top-10s within the 9 begins that weren’t wins or he’s solely completed worse than seventeenth as soon as all 12 months. It would go away out that he acquired slammed towards a cop automobile and arrested hours earlier than his Friday tee time on the PGA Championship and nonetheless tied for eighth. It would additionally miss the general shot-by-shot transcendence, with KnowledgeGolf placing Scheffler’s 2024 type because the second-best season because the daybreak of shot monitoring (the final 30 years). He’s gaining 3.1 strokes in comparison with the sector. Only Woods’ 2000 peak was higher.
It additionally leaves out the dimensions of Scheffler’s wins. All six wins are large boy occasions. He received the Masters, the Players Championship and 4 extra signature occasions towards all the highest PGA Tour stars. These had been at programs like Augusta, Sawgrass, Bay Hill and Muirfield Village, a few of the finest exams on the planet.
Yes, it must be talked about Scheffler is enjoying on a PGA Tour with out Jon Rahm, Bryson DeChambeau, Brooks Koepka and Cameron Smith who left for LIV, however these stars additionally solely have a mixed one win on LIV this season.
Scottie Scheffler’s son, Bennett, is six weeks outdated and has been part of two trophy celebrations. (Andy Lyons / Getty Images)
Two: Scheffler’s season isn’t over.
So what’s subsequent? Scheffler will possible take the subsequent two weeks off earlier than heading to Scotland for the Open Championship. After his win Sunday, he implied he wouldn’t be enjoying the Scottish Open the week earlier than, however that’s unclear. Then, he’ll go to Paris for the Olympics on Aug. 1. That wouldn’t depend as a PGA Tour win, however in a loaded Olympic subject with just about all the highest gamers (besides DeChambeau) an Olympic gold would realistically rank someplace between a significant and a big-time PGA Tour occasion. Then, Scheffler can have three FedEx Cup playoff occasions in August to wrap up the 12 months.
That doubtlessly leaves Scheffler simply 4 extra official tournaments, plus one other important alternative on the Olympics. He’ll be the favourite at every.
Maybe it is going to take a second main on the Open Championship at Royal Troon to really put this season up in that tier of the best ever. It’s honest. It would really feel unusual to have a participant so comically forward of the sector week to week solely win one main. The unlucky reality is that’s how troublesome main championships are. But if he does put himself at seven (or extra wins) with two majors, it is going to turn out to be a honest argument whether or not that is the second-greatest season ever.
If Scheffler doesn’t win the Open however will get to seven or eight wins general, it pushes him additional into that top-five tier. It will turn out to be about private choice
This is all simply enjoyable stuff for bar room debates. It isn’t actual. These are all simply methods to take a step again and ensure we’re appreciating the actual fact we’re watching greatness. Scheffler isn’t simply having the very best season in a decade. He’s on a three-year run of 12 wins and 36 top-5s. He is particular. Enjoy it.
(Top picture: James Gilbert / Getty Images)
