Scottie Scheffler Wraps Up His Breakthrough 2022 Motivated for Next Year
HOUSTON — Scottie Scheffler is closing out his historic 2022 season in his home state at the Cadence Bank Houston Open this week, playing before family and friends in a state he loves and a course he admires, enjoying the benefits of his incredible breakout season.
He entered the 2022 season with an outstanding Ryder Cup performance in 2021 on his resume, but still lacking a PGA Tour victory and facing questions about what it would take for him to finally win at the highest level in the game.
From February to April, Scheffler delivered the answers. He reeled off four PGA Tour victories including a victory in his college hometown of Austin, Texas, at the World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play, which gave him the World No. 1 ranking, then capped it two weeks later with a victory at the 2022 Masters Tournament, his first major championship.
While he hasn’t won since, Scheffler has proven to be a major presence in major championships and was part of the U.S. win in the Presidents Cup this fall. He finished the year with a record $14 million in PGA Tour prize money.
Scheffler's run atop the world rankings recently ended when Rory McIlroy overtook him at the CJ Cup in South Carolina, but the Texan can still regain the top spot in the world with a victory this week at Memorial Park Golf Course.
Before teeing off for his final PGA Tour event of 2023, Scheffler answered six questions for SI Golf.
SI Golf: After your incredible stretch in the spring where you won four times including a WGC event and the Masters title, you haven’t won since. What does that tell you about your game and golf even at the highest level?
Scottie Scheffler: Yeah, yeah, I think winning out here is very difficult and I still gave myself some opportunities then. I was one shot back at the U.S. Open. I was close to competing at The Open Championship as well. Then I was close at Colonial. So, I was still playing very good golf, it just so happened I wasn't able to capitalize as much.
SI Golf: What did you learn about yourself during your incredible spring hot streak?
SS: I had worked really hard to get to a point where I had opportunities to win events and it was definitely nice to capitalize on those. I think it was just kind of chance that I capitalized all at once, it seemed like there was a span of two months there I was just winning a bunch, which was definitely a lot of fun. But I had some really good stuff that I was working on in the offseason and going into last fall that really kind of just paid off and clicked.
SI Golf: With the great success you enjoyed this year, did you develop any on-course superstitions?
SS: I not a real superstitious person. But I do mark every putt with my Dallas Cowboys ball marker, I have to keep them going.
SI Golf: Great players will use anything they can find to motivate themselves. How much are you using your loss of World No. 1 status to Rory to motivate yourself?
SS: Well, it definitely matters to me, but I don't let a ranking define what I think of myself as a player. It was definitely fun being No. 1 in the world and it's something I hope to get back to, but all my motivation's always been internal. I'm a crazy, crazy competitive person, so for me, I haven't really needed much outward focus to kind of get motivated to come out and play. If anything, I need to tone myself down a little bit and just let things go and kind of just go out and play.
SI Golf: In Mexico last week, you went back to your old putter and shot a 62. You shot a 62 here last year with the same putter, was that just a case of welcoming back an old friend?
SS: I felt like I was putting OK, I was hitting a lot of good putts, the ball just wasn't going in the hole and it was more of the same at the beginning of the week last week. So, after Friday's round (last week) I was like, well, let me see if it's me or it's the putter or whatever it is. I kind of went back to my old putter, something I'm comfortable with and I putted pretty good over the weekend, so I’m using it again this week.
SI Golf: With your last PGA Tour event of 2022, you have plenty of time to think about the first major of 2023 and your title defense at the Masters Tournament. How often have you been asked, or given thought to, what you’ll serve at the Masters Champions Dinner?
SS: Oh man, I’ve been asked a lot of about that. I’ve said I’m more of a meat and potatoes type of guy, so it could be something like that. I can’t tell you what, it’s a secret. But I will be ready, I’ve probably already signed a thousand Masters flags (from fans) or more.