Scottie Scheffler displayed confidence of winner in Las Vegas
When Scottie Scheffler arrived at the Shriners Children’s Open in October, he was coming off the high of a Ryder Cup appearance and carrying a reputation as a solid player with a ton of potential.
He was also winless on the PGA Tour.
Flash forward six months and he had become the No. 1 player in the world, a four-time winner and a major champion with his impressive victory at the Masters.
With the 2021-22 season now in the books, Scheffler is one of three golfers nominated for PGA Tour Player of the Year, joining Rory McIlroy and Cameron Smith for the honor. The vote won’t be close.
In a span of about two months, Scheffler won the Phoenix Open, Bay Hill, the WGC Match Play and the Masters. He had 11 top-10 finishes and shattered the record for most money won in a season.
Smith and McIlroy each had three wins — including Smith’s impressive feats at the Players Championship and British Open — but their records don’t come close to Scheffler.
Maybe when he spoke in Las Vegas in October, it would have been a good idea to believe him as much as he believed in himself.
“As far as not winning on Tour, I think if I wanted to do something to where I could win a random event out here, I would go play a weaker schedule than I do,” Scheffler said at the time.
“For me, I like playing tournaments against the best players in the world, and that’s what our PGA Tour is about. So I like competing, and I’m not going to change my schedule. I’m just going to keep trying to put myself in position to win tournaments.”
That he did.
His Ryder Cup performance certainly elevated his status among fans, but Scheffler said that didn’t impact the way he approached golf.
“I’ve always perceived that if I was put into a position at a Ryder Cup or a major championship that I would perform well,” he said. “I’ve always kind of had that faith and confidence in myself as a player. So it may have changed y’all’s perception of me, but for me, it doesn’t change too much.”
McIlroy started his season with a win in Las Vegas at the CJ Cup and ended it with a victory at the Tour Championship and all its riches. He also won the Canadian Open, but without a major on his résumé, it pales next to Scheffler.
Smith played the best nine holes of the season on the back nine Sunday at the British Open to overtake McIlroy for the claret jug, and his daring approach at the island green 17th at the Players Championship on Sunday was one of the best shots of the season.
But Smith’s record still falls short of Scheffler, and his defection for LIV Golf makes him persona non grata to many players.
The case for PGA Tour Rookie of the Year is also pretty much a slam dunk.
Although he didn’t win, Cameron Young was head and shoulders above his fellow newcomers. Second at the British Open, one shot out of a playoff at the PGA Championship, and second at Riviera and three other PGA Tour events.
Sahith Theegala had his share of close calls as well, but none was on the biggest stages like Young. And Tom Kim did win at the Wyndham Championship, but he wasn’t even a PGA Tour member until that triumph.
Junior League Regional
Two mixed league teams representing Dragon Ridge Country Club in Henderson failed to advance out of the National Car Rental PGA Junior League Regional over the weekend in Hawaii.
Both teams were playing in the 17-and-under group and were eliminated in the first round of the eight-team event at Wailea Golf Club. Teams from Hawaii, California, Nevada and Arizona were in the field.
Greg Robertson covers golf for the Review-Journal. He can be reached at grobertson@reviewjournal.com.