Scottie Scheffler Says He Would Trade This Aspect of His Game With a Fellow Pro

The World No. 1 had an avalanche of lessons he's picked up from playing with the world's best players up close. Rory McIlroy, though, was tight-lipped.

Scottie Scheffler is the world's best player, but sees aspects of other players's games that he'd like to have. / Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images

Scottie Scheffler is the best player in the world, but there are parts of his game he’d switch with some of his fellow PGA Tour pros. 

If there’s a weakness in Scheffler’s game, it would be with the flatstick. Therefore, he’d swap that skill with one of his best friends on Tour. 

“Today I played a practice round with Sam Burns,” Scheffler said Tuesday ahead of the PGA Championship, “and I remember when we played the Presidents Cup here (at Quail Hollow) in 2022, it was like he was putting to a hole that was the size of a basketball hoop. So I do a lot of practice rounds with Sam, and he’s a tremendous putter. I would trade that with him.”

Scheffler is still strong on the greens, ranked 19th on Tour in strokes-gained putting. But Burns is first, so there is technically room for improvement for the world No. 1. 

The two-time Masters champion, however, has watched some of the sport’s greatest players up close for several years and has picked up some tips along the way—and some slight jealousy, too. 

“I think in our game, there’s always little things that I look at in people’s games that I can improve on,” Scheffler said. “You look at a guy like Rory [McIlroy], you’d be hard-pressed to find anybody that has drove the ball better than he has in the history of the game. He might be the best driver of the ball that we’ve ever seen.

“You had a guy like Tiger [Woods] had a ton of speed, but Rory just has the accuracy is what sets him apart too. Not only does he hit it really far, he hits it really straight. Those are two little examples just off the top of my head of guys that I would trade with.

“But there’s so much I could learn from out here. Like I play a lot of golf with Jordan [Spieth] at home too and the stuff he does around the greens and the creativity that he plays with, I can learn a lot from.”

Wednesday at Quail Hollow, McIlroy was posed the same question about substituting a part of his game with someone else, but shut down the hypothetical. 

“I wouldn’t trade,” the world No. 2 said. 

Then asked if there’s a part of somebody else’s game he admires, McIlroy was mum. 

“I’m focused on my game,” the five-time major champion said. 

Scheffler, though, had an avalanche of instances. 

“Being out here playing all the time with the best players in the world, there’s always something that I can learn,” he said. “You look at a guy like Jon Rahm, like I love the way he plays with passion over every shot. It’s very rare for him to lose focus, and you kind of see that in his face when he plays. He plays so competitively. Tiger was kind of the same way. Tiger was obviously the best at it, but every shot he hit was the most important shot that he’s ever hit.

“I could go on and on, but those are a few small examples.”

Maybe having a keen eye inside the ropes is what makes Scheffler great. While McIlroy staying in his zone is what allowed him to be successful.