It was darkish. No one else was on the vary. And for a second, Scottie Scheffler led the Golf Channel-watching public to imagine he was grinding with 18 holes to go on the Masters. Scheffler had simply completed a late third spherical at Augusta Nationwide with a one-shot lead. He did his media obligations late into the evening and wandered over to the world between the vary and the coaching constructing.
Together with his coach Randy Smith and his caddie Ted Scott behind him, Scheffler pulled out a membership and took some hacks underneath the vary lights. Smith and Scott stared into the telephone, its digital camera aimed toward Scheffler’s swing.
“I don’t know what they’re doing! He’s hit one dangerous shot this week. He’s hit the ball fantastically! They will’t be engaged on something,” Paul McGinley mentioned in Irish exasperation as he and Brandel Chamblee watched on throughout Golf Channel’s “Reside From” broadcast.
Right 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 advised 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 “Reside From” set throughout the vary and determined to have some enjoyable. “Hey, Scottie, go fake you’re swinging.”
“Ted pulls out his telephone,” Smith recalled, “We’re trying on the telephone. They assume we’re taking a look at his swings. We’re not. We’re watching a Desi Arnaz and Lucy video!”
As a result of 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 Vacationers Championship on Sunday for his sixth win in 10 begins. He’s all of a sudden the primary participant since Arnold Palmer in 1962 to win six tournaments earlier than July.
It was already protected to name this the most effective PGA Tour season in roughly a decade. Scheffler has been on the most effective three-year ball-striking run since peak Tiger Woods. The superlatives are properly documented. However now, Scheffler is taking his run into the dialog for the most effective 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
Within 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 totally 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. Solely two different gamers even reached that trendy six-win membership, Tom Watson in 1980 and Nick Worth in 1994.
So the place does Scheffler’s marketing campaign rank? And the way a lot additional can we go?
There’s context for lots 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. However the season had a unique, 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 seemingly 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 totally different.
Until Scheffler wins a grand slam some day, no one 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 unbelievable 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 greatest years ever. On pure wins, it will be behind Tiger’s two or three greatest, Jordan Spieth’s breakout 2015 (5 wins, two majors) in addition to Singh, Nicklaus (1972) and Palmer (1960, 1962).
However pondering of it this manner leaves out two issues.
One: Golf is just not a zero-sum sport. It might omit 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 might omit that he obtained slammed towards a cop automotive and arrested hours earlier than his Friday tee time on the PGA Championship and nonetheless tied for eighth. It might additionally omit the general shot-by-shot transcendence, with DataGolf 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 sphere. Solely Woods’ 2000 peak was higher.
It additionally leaves out the size of Scheffler’s wins. All six wins are large boy occasions. He received the Masters, the Gamers 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 greatest exams on this planet.
Sure, 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 previous and has been part of two trophy celebrations. (Andy Lyons / Getty Photographs)
Two: Scheffler’s season is just not over.
So what’s subsequent? Scheffler will seemingly 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 rely 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.
Perhaps it would 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 truthful. It might really feel unusual to have a participant so comically forward of the sphere week to week solely win one main. The unlucky fact is that’s how tough main championships are. But when he does put himself at seven (or extra wins) with two majors, it would change into 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 should change into about private desire
That 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 most effective season in a decade. He’s on a three-year run of 12 wins and 36 top-5s. He’s particular. Get pleasure from it.
(Prime picture: James Gilbert / Getty Photographs)