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12/30 09:37 CST Tales from the tour: Scheffler shows no mercy, even in a
friendly match with his caddie
Tales from the tour: Scheffler shows no mercy, even in a friendly match with
his caddie
By DOUG FERGUSON
AP Golf Writer
Rory McIlroy has such a good relationship with Scottie Scheffler that he
couldn't resist the dig.
"Get a chef," McIlroy said at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.
That's where Scheffler made his season debut, a month late due to his decision
to try to cut ravioli with a wine glass while making Christmas dinner and
slicing open his right hand. It took nearly three months for Scheffler to hit
his stride, and then he was practically unstoppable.
That led to another observation from McIlroy. At the British Open, where
Scheffler dominated another field for his second major of the year, McIlroy was
reminded of his great start to the year when he won at Pebble Beach, The
Players Championship and, most joyously, the Masters.
"I also had the three wins when Scottie wasn't quite on his game," he said.
It really was a tale of two seasons --- McIlroy winning three times through
April, Scheffler winning five times from May through August and going six
months without finishing out of the top 10. They each won in September, and
each picked up year-end honors on their side of the Atlantic Ocean.
Along the way there were plenty of other memories beyond birdies and bogeys and
claret jugs in the annual edition of "Tales from the Tour."
Scottie don't play games Scheffler is renowned for his passion to compete, and that doesn't always take place from Thursday through Sunday. Before starting his season at Pebble Beach, he took caddie Ted Scott to Cypress Point for a friendly match. It was Scheffler's fourth day swinging a club since puncturing his right hand during the famed ravioli incident. Scheffler gave him 10 shots, and the countdown began. Scott hit his first approach into 5 feet and was feeling good about his chances, right up until Scheffler's shot spun back and hit his caddie's golf ball. They both made birdie. Scheffler won the next hole and said loud enough for Scott to hear, "Nine." Scheffler won the next hole with a par and said even louder, "EIGHT." And on it went. "He was 6 under through six," Scott said. "I gave him the $100 and said, ?Don't say anything else. I want to enjoy my day.'" The moral of the story? "Scottie don't play games when he's playing games," the caddie said. The inspiration Stephan Jaeger was reminded how players can leave an impression without even knowing it. Thomas Rosenmller, a PGA Tour rookie this year, was asked at the Sony Open why he pursed golf while growing up in Germany, where the sport can be an afterthought. He said it was because of Jaeger, who is eight years older. Both played at Eichenried Golf Club in Munich. Jaeger, who used to travel three hours north to Heidelberg to watch Tiger Woods play in the Deutsche Bank-SAP Open (Woods won it twice), left to play at Tennessee-Chattanooga. He shot 58 on the Korn Ferry Tour and notched his first PGA Tour title in 2024 by going head-to-head with Scheffler in the Houston Open. He was touched when told what Rosenmller said about him. "I'm glad my success has inspired some guys younger than me from my home course," Jaeger said. "It's really hard to get here. Obviously, Rosie made it out here, which is awesome. It's cool." The missing clubs Golf can get plenty frustrating, and there was no better illustration than a trash bin outside the scoring area at the RBC Heritage filled with water bottles, the wrapping of a nutrient bar and three broken golf clubs. The only question: Who's clubs? Byeong-Hun An became a suspect. "Maybe," he said with a smile. "Lot of guys use Titleist clubs out there with grayish grips." An opened with a 74 on a day when every bounce went wrong, every tree seemed to be in his way. He battled back only to see his tee shot go long on the par-3 17th, leading to double bogey. "Had some heat coming in," An said, pausing for a moment before adding with another smile, "but I'm glad that I have another set of clubs." Mystery solved. Follow the ball Scheffler was the only PGA Tour player at Quail Hollow on Sunday before the PGA Championship because most everyone else was playing tournaments. It was a quiet nine holes of practice and another clinic on his control. Looking for a line off the tee at the par-5 seventh --- it was Scheffler's first time at Quail Hollow since the 2022 Presidents Cup --- his caddie pointed toward a small, black electrical box beyond the bunkers. An onlooker peered down the fairway unable to see the target they were talking about. "Just follow the ball, and you'll see the box," Scott said. As the drive descended, the box came clearly into view. End of a tradition For more than 40 years, the British Open was the only major that had a person trained in raking bunkers with each group. It was a perk the caddies enjoyed, and they couldn't figure out why the British and International Golf Greenskeepers Association (BIGGA) was not invited to Royal Portrush. "It's a change for us, but we think a good one," R&A CEO Mark Darbon said without elaborating what was good about it. Caddies were not informed, and apparently neither were those responsible for building out the course. One sign outside a portable toilet for players read, ""For use by Rules Officials, Players, Caddies, Walking Scorers, Scoreboard Carriers & Bunker Rakers." Straight talk Randy Smith, the only swing coach Scheffler has had, grew up in oil-rich West Texas and played college golf for two years at Texas Tech. When asked one day if he had watched the "Landman" series on Paramount+, he replied, "Don't need to. Lived it." Smith is known to get to the point, and college football is no exception. On the putting green at Bethpage Black during the Ryder Cup, the topic turned to the Red Raiders and their prospects after starting 4-0. The golf coach offered only one comment from experience. "As long as oil stays over $60 a barrel, Tech is going to be a force," Smith said. End of conversation. West Texas crude is hovering between $58 and $59 a barrel at the close of the year. Texas Tech is having one if its best seasons, a No. 4 seed in the College Football Playoff with a game Thursday against Oregon. The rehearsal Miyu Yamashita of Japan made her first LPGA victory a big one, capturing the Women's British Open at Royal Porthcawl. She won again in Malaysia and was easily the LPGA rookie of the year. During a festive night at the LPGA awards dinner in Naples, Florida, Yamashita sat quietly at her table. As awards were presented, she nervously looked at the ceiling while mouthing words. She was rehearsing her speech, her first time speaking publicly in English. At 4-foot-11, her head was barely visible above the podium. She only got stuck one time, but delivered a winner. Yamashita returned to her seat with a relieved smile and a rousing ovation. ___ On The Fringe analyzes the biggest topics in golf during the season. AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf |
