Before he sets out for a December exhibition that will get the golf world talking, Scottie Scheffler has a team event of a different kind to attend to at Royal Montreal Golf Club.
The World No. 1, whose incredible season included a green jacket, a Players Championship title, an Olympic gold medal and his first FedEx Cup, is gearing up for his second Presidents Cup, beginning Thursday.
Scheffler was part of the U.S. team that won the 2022 edition of the event at Quail Hollow in Charlotte, N.C. That stretched the Americans’ winning streak over the International team to nine events and counting.
But after the Americans’ disappointing showing at the 2023 Ryder Cup in Rome, Scheffler is leading the contingent in Montreal that will try not to botch another away match.
“That’s probably why you saw me so emotional after the Olympics. I really do take a lot of pride in playing for my country,” Scheffler said Tuesday. “I’ve had the opportunity to do it a few times, and it’s very special.
“Coming here to foreign soil for us and trying to compete and bring back the Cup, I think will be pretty fun.”
Scheffler said he’s more focused on being himself than being a team leader for the U.S. He’s joined this week by World No. 2 Xander Schauffele, major champions Collin Morikawa and Wyndham Clark, future Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley and other American stars who, on paper, have a leg up on the International side.
“What’s the benefit? I mean, the score is 0-0,” Scheffler said in typical Scheffler fashion. “My job is to go out in the first match and do my best and try to get a point for our team. Outside of that, I don’t really think about if we’re favored to win the match or not. My job is to win — all I can try to do is win one point on Thursday’s match.”
Scheffler also addressed his tie to a made-for-TV match pitting him and Northern Ireland star Rory McIlroy against LIV Golf’s Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau slated for this December in Las Vegas. Details haven’t been finalized, but it’s expected to resemble past editions of “The Match” that have featured professional golfers and celebrities.
“My manager takes care of a lot of that stuff,” Scheffler said. “When he originally brought it up to me, I was like, ‘Yeah, it sounds like fun.’ I’ve partnered with Brooks and Bryson at Ryder Cups before. I’ve never obviously had a chance to play with Rory at the Ryder Cup, but those are two guys I really miss competing against.
“It definitely interested me, and the way things fell together, it seemed to work out nice. It seems like a fun deal.”
Scheffler claimed he didn’t have a role in spearheading the PGA vs. LIV match — and that any past animosity toward the players who defected to LIV didn’t play a role in Scheffler’s decision to play the match.
“There’s just so many moving pieces in that deal,” Scheffler said. “It’s one of those things where like my friendships to guys out there hasn’t really changed that much. I think in the beginning when some of the guys were suing us, that was a bit frustrating for the players out here, but over time those things kind of fade. I don’t think there was a ton of ill will for that type of stuff.”
There’s no doubt that American teammates will be looking up to Scheffler during the week.
“It fires me up a lot to see other guys on the team who want it so bad and be so meaningful to them,” Sahith Theegala said. “I know it’s well documented, but Scottie at the Olympics, winning it for the U.S., it’s such a big deal. There’s no bigger events than when you play for your country.”
–Field Level Media
