It was a frightening prospect for the rest of the PGA Tour membership when Scottie Scheffer was still shooting low scores while his putting wasn’t up to scratch.
Signs of his super-human nature got stronger at The Players Championship when the World No.1 was still getting his ball around TPC Sawgrass on Friday with an injured neck which almost forced his withdrawal.
“Finally,” thought his fellow competitors as they were on course for a week of respite where the trophy-winning, ball-striking machine would surely not be in contention.
It hurt Scheffler to make a swing and to read putts in round two. The World No.1 described it as a pinch in his neck, but it was more like a punch with its potentially tournament-ending severity.
The reason he didn’t succumb to the niggle and completed 72 holes was sitting in front of him in his winner’s press conference, standing small but proud in gold looking over the media on an elevated table. The trophy was the physical embodiment of his belief that he could win, even with the memory of receiving neck massages during the competition fresh in his mind.
“That’s probably why I kept playing. I had gotten off to a good start – I played really good golf on Thursday. I made an early birdie. I think I was two-under through four on Friday so I was right in the thick of the tournament,” he said.
“All of a sudden I get that pinch in my neck, and I gutted it out around there, getting it around in a few under par, keeping myself in the tournament. Same thing on Saturday. I said before when you get an acute injury like that, if you can wake up the next day feeling a little bit better or the exact same, it’s a win.
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“Usually the morning after is worse the following day. So, woke up Saturday feeling a little bit better. Was able to hit some shots yesterday but not many. Then today I woke up feeling fairly close to normal. I went out there and had a good round of golf.
“I didn’t really know if I was going to be able to swing,” he added. “Basically looking up to see the line on my putt was pretty difficult. It was hard to hit putts because right when I turned my head to look at the hole my brain’s sending pain signals or however that works, getting pain signals to my brain. It’s not easy to focus on making a putt when you’re in pain.
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“But, you know, I figured as long as I could get through the round on Friday – Marnus (Marais, a PGA Tour physio) did a good job getting me going for Saturday. I felt a little bit better, like I said, and then Sunday, today, I felt pretty good overall.”
Scottie Scheffler: The Players victory led to comparisons with Tiger Woods
Of course, he felt close to normal – the American made six birdies and an eagle! He came from five shots behind and won The Players, becoming the first in the event’s 50-year history to successfully defend their title.
When his putts dropped on holes 11 and 12 for birdie, the result became inevitable. This may be easy to say after the result is in, but Scheffler is a killer and, despite the credentials of Wyndham Clark, Brian Harman and Xander Schauffele, they all lined up their birdie putts on the 18th hole, missed them and that was that.
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Scheffler had some tape applied to his neck to soften the pain he was feeling but, while comparing its effect to a Placebo test, he didn’t know if it was giving him any relief and the sweat on his neck often meant the tape slipped off.
But if we park a discussion about his bodily fluids for now, we can focus on a magical Sunday in Ponte Vedra and also spare a thought for Clark who has now finished second to Scheffler in back-to-back weeks on the PGA Tour.
This is no disgrace. Clark has emerged as one of the world’s best players since the start of 2023, but this one will hurt. He stepped into his putt and was about to fist-pump his way into a playoff on the 72nd hole before his ball decided to defy the laws of gravity.
We have seen harsh lipouts like this before, but perhaps not at such a crucial stage of a tournament of this magnitude when a birdie was the only thing needed. The reigning US Open champion was left almost on his knees, almost stealing history from Scheffler’s grasp.
As was often the case in many of the pre-tournament press conferences in the days leading up to the first tee shot at 7.40 am on Thursday, Scheffler was asked about Tiger Woods.
Not about if he would play at the Masters or why he chose not to play at The 50th Players, but if Scheffler could have ever conceived himself to show such dominance on the PGA Tour, the like of which we used to see when Woods was in his pomp and winning two Players Championship titles of his own.
“I’m not going to remember the exact numbers, but we’re playing at Riviera (The Genesis Invitational) this year, and I hit my tee ball and this guy yells out, like, ‘Congrats on being No.1 Scottie. 11 more years to go. 11 more years to go’. Anytime you can be compared to Tiger I think is really special, but, I mean, the guy stands alone I think in our game.
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“He really does. This is my eighth tournament win now out here, I’ve tied him in Players Championships. Outside of that, I got 14 more majors and 70-some PGA Tour events to catch up. So I think I’m going to stick to my routine and just continue to plot along, try and stay as even-keeled as I can.
“Yeah, we all idolise Tiger. He’s been our guy. Watching what he did in special moments over the years is crazy to watch. I’ve learned a lot just from being around him. We’re just very thankful that he’s still a part of our sport.”
Even athletes like Scheffler who often find themselves in the clouds can be brought back down to earth.
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