Scottie Scheffler gained plenty of tournaments and needed to do plenty of speaking this yr. One theme stood out at the same time as Scheffler was dominating his competitors by successful 9 instances.
The reply could possibly be discovered on a white board in Paris.
Golfers on the Olympics had been requested to put in writing their nicknames, international locations, favourite Olympic sports activities and their aim in Paris. Many of the gamers mentioned their aim was gold, or a minimum of to win a medal.
Scheffler wrote: Have enjoyable.
He shot 62 within the ultimate spherical and gained the gold medal. That was enjoyable. The truth is, from Kapalua in January to being voted PGA Tour participant of the yr in December, Scheffler used some type of the phrase “enjoyable” 183 instances in information conferences.
It was like that for lots of people on this planet of golf, who created reminiscences that make this yr’s version of “Tales from the Tour.”
The nice life
Tommy Fleetwood got here to The Sentry on Maui for the primary time and introduced his father from England. Peter Fleetwood sat in a cart watching his son on the follow vary and absorbing the climate in paradise, his first journey to Hawaii.
Being a preferred trip spot, it led to a query about the place they used to go to chill out.
“We didn’t take holidays,” he mentioned. “We couldn’t afford them. We went round to junior golf tournaments in the summertime. That was our holidays. And that was good.”
There was a quiet contentment about him as he watched his son, now one of many high gamers and characters within the sport. The daddy resumed his ideas.
“I’ve had an excellent life. I’ve nothing to complain about,” he mentioned. “I misplaced my spouse a number of years in the past and I complain about that. However nothing else. I had the whole lot I ever wanted.”
The season opener is usually a good tone-setter, and it’s not at all times measure by a scorecard.
Xander and his caddie
All the eye on cash contains the caddies.
Xander Schauffele and Austin Kaiser had been teammates at San Diego State and shut buddies ever since. Kaiser was working in a warehouse when Schauffele requested if he would caddie for him. They received their PGA Tour card in 2017, the primary win, and earlier than lengthy Schauffele was a mainstay among the many high 10 on this planet rating.
Kaiser wasn’t doing too dangerous, both.
The usual payment for a lot of caddies is 10% for a win. With $20 million purses, it provides up. Schauffele was discussing this at Bay Hill when he seemed over at Kaiser and informed him, “You receives a commission an excessive amount of.”
Kaiser didn’t blink.
“Yeah, however you’re the (expletive) paying me,” he replied.
Each broke out laughing. Some 4 months later, that they had two main championships. Cash properly spent.
Nicklaus displays on his most iconic golf reminiscences
Jack Nicklaus retells the story of a number of the most well-known moments of his illustrious profession and compares his swing to Scottie Scheffler’s.
Jack remembers (nearly) the whole lot
The U.S. Open was approaching and Jack Nicklaus was requested what he thought in regards to the hardest check in golf giving up a pair of 62s the earlier yr at Los Angeles Nation Membership. His ideas as an alternative turned to the course, which he had not seen in a while.
“I performed it in 1954, the U.S. Junior. I used to be 14 years previous,” Nicklaus. “I received beat within the second spherical. I feel Hugh Royer Jr. beat me.”
Give it some thought. That is an 84-year-old who has competed at greater than 1,000 tournaments since he was a boy. How can he keep in mind shedding 70 years in the past to somebody named Hugh Royer?
“I didn’t wish to let you know,” Nicklaus added with a smile, “however I feel it was 5 and three.”
That afternoon got here a telephone name on one other matter to Michael Trostel, the nice USGA useful resource on historical past. He had a U.S. Junior Newbie file guide close to him and was requested to search for 1954 at LA Nation Membership. How did Nicklaus fare?
“Seems to be like he misplaced within the second spherical … to Hugh Royer Jr.,” Trostel replied.
The rating?
“Maintain on … 4 and three,” he mentioned.
Nicklaus not often misses, and when he does, it’s not by a lot.
The imperfect 10
Nelly Korda had excessive hopes for the U.S. Girls’s Open and so did everybody else. She had tied an LPGA file with 5 straight wins, considered one of them was a serious. She was an enormous favourite on the greatest event in girls’s golf.
For 2 holes, anyway.
On her third gap, the par-3 twelfth at Lancaster, Korda after a protracted wait hit her 6-iron lengthy right into a bunker. She blasted out to a severely sloped inexperienced and watched it roll off the entrance and right into a stream. Her subsequent chip from the opposite aspect of the stream wasn’t sturdy sufficient and went within the water. So did the one after that.
It was a horror present unfolding earlier than her eyes – and the eyes of her swing coach. Due to the lengthy wait, Jamie Mulligan and had gone as much as the grandstands.
After the third ball discovered the water, Mulligan quietly mentioned, “That is form of robust to observe.”
She made 10.
Mulligan, nonetheless, didn’t lose his humorousness, one of many causes they mesh so properly. An acquaintance sitting subsequent to Mulligan discovered a cause to move again towards the clubhouse.
“I want to seek out her supervisor to get extra golf balls,” he mentioned.
Predictable Stricker
Steve Stricker accepted the award. His daughter known as the pictures.
Stricker simply gained the Golf Writers Affiliation of America award because the senior participant of the yr after a blockbuster 2023 season of six wins, three of them majors. It was a festive evening on the awards dinner. The one query was whether or not Stricker would get emotional.
It began when he approached the rostrum, partly as a result of Gary Woodland received everybody emotional with heartfelt gratitude coming back from mind surgical procedure.
Stricker rallied, his voice nonetheless a bit of unsteady, however the message was again on monitor.
“If he seems to be at my mother he’s going to lose it,” his oldest daughter, Bobbi, whispered from her seat within the auditorium.
Stricker spoke of his particular yr and mentioned he wished to thank his household. That’s when he turned to take a look at them and it was over. He went seven full seconds earlier than he may get out one other phrase. Amid the tears, he laughed at himself.
It’s what makes him so endearing to so many.
JT on the backside
Justin Thomas made a stable restoration this yr, however he couldn’t afford a foul week on the BMW Championship. And he was having a tough week together with his placing at Fortress Pines.
Thomas was forty ninth in the important thing placing statistic going into the third spherical. He was on the follow inexperienced together with his father when he talked about the place he ranked and mentioned, “I can’t imagine there’s somebody placing worse than me this week.”
Mike Thomas needed to ship the dangerous information – Hideki Matsuyama had withdrawn, and there have been solely 49 gamers left within the area.
The excellent news for Thomas? He made simply sufficient over the weekend to complete thirtieth place within the FedEx Cup and get again to the Tour Championship.
Scheffler displays on historic 2024 season
After successful the Tour Championship, Scottie Scheffler joins Golf Central to recall a few of his favourite moments from every of his seven event wins and gold medal victory this season.
The opposite Olympic medal
Scheffler gained the gold medal on the Paris Olympics. His caddie, Ted Scott, additionally obtained a medal and was by no means prouder.
Since 2008, the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee has given American medalists the “Order of Ikkos” medallion to current to a key member of their workforce, often a coach.
For Scheffler, it was a simple selection.
He spoke after the second spherical about struggling together with his angle and the way his caddie helped him. Scott later crammed within the particulars.
It was on the eighth gap, after Scheffler made double bogey from a foul lie within the fairway.
“I known as him off the aspect of the inexperienced and I had a stern speaking to him,” Scott mentioned. “I simply mentioned, ‘I need you to look into my eyes, hearken to my phrases and don’t speak again.’”
The message that adopted was for Scheffler to not overcomplicate his sport or overreact. The mission going ahead was to decide to the shot and settle for the end result.
“I mentioned, ’You would possibly make the whole lot on the finish of the event. You don’t know. Let’s see what occurs,’” Scott mentioned.
He made the whole lot on the finish, a 29 on the again 9 gained the gold medal. He showered Scott was extra reward than regular when it was over.
“I’ve by no means had a professional look me within the eyes and say he couldn’t do it with out me,” Scott mentioned. “It was particular.”
Particular yr.
