Scottie Scheffler researches Tiger Woods – and then steals his superpower

Portrush in Northern Ireland – If one thing seems to bother Scottie Scheffler in the media room, it is the assumption that either of them is effortless.

“No,” he said just in an interview earlier this year, asking whether golf started to feel “easy” to him. He said with a smile, but it was obvious what he meant. “Simple Absolutely not the right word. I think it’s so difficult for my love for this game. ”

He had a similar measure at the Open Championships at Royal Protush on Saturday, a brilliant third round 67 consisting of 15 pars, two birdies and an eagle, when he opened a four-shot lead throughout the rest of the field. When he asked the question after he issued it, a reporter told Scheffler that it looked “pressure-free” given his clean card, which is understandable. Schaffler was friendly to his answers – he almost always – but delayed the assumption.

“I think card “It can look stress-free, but my back nine shots are very good,” he said.

“Luckily, my sloppy walked with me, but the ball was deep in the grass,” he said of his second at No. 14.

This is not easy. He must tell us; otherwise we will never know.

I’ll think Watching Scottie Scheffler is a frustrating experience as you cheer for another player. That’s the case with the loyal people in Northern Ireland on Saturday. The front several groups, red shirts, red hottest world ranked second, and Rory McIlroy ignited the crowd with long putts, marked irons and even some weird buried ball magic. He said his Hawks showed one of the biggest roars throughout his career in five-shot five-shot competition. Euphoria spreads from the hole to the hole, stimulated by good golf and good weather, a festive summer and sports celebration as well as a native hero.

But Schevler heard the roar for the last time, and was indomitable and omnipotent. In the end, the world’s second-ranked Skirt 66 won a shot in the world’s No. 1 game.

“Scotty is the best player in the world right now. I think everyone knows it well,” McIlroy said. “He keeps a good attitude every week and he improves it – it will be a tough task to be able to catch him tomorrow.”

Haotong Li is Scheffler’s Sunday game partner. He came in second and said he felt it was as close as the distance he would get. “I’m actually looking forward to it. There are four shots behind, especially against the No. 1 in the world. I’m just trying to play my best there and hopefully do something.”

Xander Schauffele won the match last year. He and Schefler have been the only players with multiple professionals over the past four years. He described Senior Golf State as a “power outage” and called Scheffler an expert to get there.

“When I watched Scottie play a lot, he was just doing his thing, and it looked like it was for me,” Schauffele said. “He went to that place a lot, and that was a good thing for him.” ”

Such ruthless people seem to be Scheffler’s superpower. He left, left, and then went again. He closed nine 54 holes of lead in a row. He completed 10 consecutive T8 or better games. He has won 15 titles worldwide since he missed the cut last time. The other good thing about the best is Scheffler’s usual. That doesn’t mean it’s easy – I’ll be careful not to say that – but it does mean he’s better than them.

If you are a golf fan You may still remember Tiger Woods’ 10. The double-digit disaster occurred in the 2020 Masters, who played football in November due to Covid. Never had a master like this, defending champion Woods did something he had never done before, ponging on the twelfth green to reach the highest single-hole score of his career. But Woods also responded with something else he had never done: he had five birds in the last six holes of his return home, a victory for the human spirit. That day, playing with Woods in the final round of his first Masters? Scottie Scheffler.

Scheffler doesn’t necessarily like to talk about himself, which means the best way to know him is to listen to him describe his likes among others. One day last year, Scheffler volunteered to participate in Woods’ particularly insightful monologue of November’s comeback and why that moment has been bothering him.

“He won so many golf tournaments, he was 10th in Augusta, five of the last six holes at 12th, I mean, I mean, that’s meaningless to him; at that stage of his career, what’s the point? Just to get him to step there completely, I’m not like a third of that day that day that day, that’s my third of that, that’s the one who used to hit a few people, that’s a few people’s hits.

“I learned a lot just by looking at him. I mean, he competes in this game differently than a lot of players. He puts everything in every shot he plays on the golf course, and I think it’s a really underrated skill. Whenever he’s on the ball, whether he’s on the first shot on Thursday or on Sunday, I can be like him, like him, like him. He read the green way, he approaches pitch shots and iron rays.. ”

What insists is that Schefler did not quote Woods’ physical attributes, nor was his perfect golf swing, but the idea He threw everything he had into every shot. one thousand%. That’s not easy. This is not easy. Work is the key point.

On Saturday night, I asked Schefler if he let his mind wander through these games. If so, you wouldn’t know – Sffler usually stares at his yardage book, or is directly a few feet in front of his face.

“I think you can say no way Let your mind wander,” Scheffler said, usually without an impression of yourself. But, most of the time I think I can control is the time we have when we think about the shot and the time I have when I cross the ball, and most of it is just dedicated to what I am doing. So, I’m not thinking about the wind, I’m not thinking about how the ball bounces back. I have a picture of what I want to do, and that’s what I’m committed to trying to achieve.”

Golf works in fun ways. They played on Sunday with a third in the 2020 Masters. Given the limited light throughout the year, this is the best way to squeeze while teeing. The third next to Woods and Schefler? That’s Shane Lowry. He won the Open Championship a year ago. In the royal portrait.

Scheffler, who led four, chased Lowry on Sunday in hopes of replacing him as the defending champion. He is also chasing the woods: not necessarily his 15 major champions, but his shadow and ghost and one-thousandth of lockdown levels. Scheffler is as high as ever and has been high for anyone since Woods. Despite this, he climbed higher.

“Tomorrow I’m going to stand there on the first tee and I’m going to try to bring the ball to the fairway and when I get the second shot I’m going to try to get the ball green on the ball. There’s not much else yet,” he said.

It’s very simple, when you say that.

It’s just not easy.

Dylan Dethier welcomes your comments via dylan_dethier@golf.com.

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