The Secret Behind Scottie Scheffler’s Game, Starting an Amazing Transformation
Scotty Schefler is one of the most fascinating mysteries in sports.
He is the world number one, and when he swings his club, his feet fly in every direction. He is an indomitable winner, and he says victory doesn’t matter to him. He is a personal star who doesn’t seem to understand team golf.
Most people think the New York-born and Texas-grown star is an unsolvable riddle, but is there a moment in his past that explains everything? Guess what? There may be.
Statistics
First, let’s look at the data, which do show a significant difference between Schaffler before and after the first PGA Tour victory.
He graduated from the Second Division Glory International Tour at the end of 2019 and did not win one by one in his first 61 games despite at least 15 final rounds of the top six.
The first win was the 2022 Phoenix Open at TPC Scottsdale and it was a huge success.
In the short term, this is the first of four wins in six games, including his first Grand Slam title, the Masters at Augusta National Park that same year.
But victory never stopped.
Since that victory (including at Phoenix), Schefler has tied for sixth or better in 46 games in 84 games, with 21 winnings.
Therefore, not only does he compete more frequently (55% vs 25%), but he also wins more (0% vs 25%).
How did it happen?
Old Scottie
The Netflix series Full Swing reveals a key factor in Schaffler’s transformation when caddie Ted Scott talked about how he started working with Schaffler at the end of 2021.
Scott told the show that he told Schevler: “I don’t know if I’m willing to work for you because of your attitude.”
He also added: “When I asked him this question, he said, ‘It’s a fair question and I’m willing to work on it.'”
In the same episode, Schaffler explained, “I used to struggle with anger. I used to become too frustrated. Golf is so important to me. This is where I have placed my identity for a long time. I try not to change too much, but I need to change something.”
Scott was impressed by Schaffler’s honesty and agreed to be his new agent. “All I need is a little hope, I’m willing to support anyone,” he said. “So I decided to take the job and we were here.”
Nova Scotty
Let’s review this summer’s British Open and Schaffler’s pre-match press conference. This 15-minute chat will trigger a thousand speculations.
After losing the game, he said, “It’s so bad. I hate it. I really hate it.”
But after winning, he added: “It’s not all. It’s not the most important thing in my life. That’s the question I’m thinking: Why is this so important to me?
“Is it great to be able to win the game and accomplish what I’ve accomplished in golf? Yes, I burst into tears at the thought because I really spent my whole life good at the sport.
“But it’s not a fulfilling life. It comes from a fulfilling feeling, but not from the deepest feeling of fulfilling heart.”
“This is a problem I’m working on solving every day. Why do I want to win so much? Because, if I win, it’s going to be two minutes of greatness and then we’re going to go to next week.
“I love being able to make a living by playing this game. It’s one of the greatest joys of my life, but does it satisfy the deepest needs and desires in my heart? Absolutely not.”
the difference
In short, before Ted Scott gave Schevler an ultimatum, he was “too frustrated” and golf was “too important” to him, and it was where he placed his identity so he didn’t win.
From then on, he realized, “this is not everything, this is not the most important thing in my life” – and he can’t stop winning.
The major change in the method; it had a surprising impact on his reward.
How it affects the Ryder Cup
In 2021, when a good American team beat a poor European team in Schaffler’s Ryder Cup debut, he won two games and halved in the third game.
But in Rome, he suffered two and a half and three losses. In fact, one of the losses, the tragic 9&7 game of the four-man two-goal game on Saturday morning, made him shed tears.
This year, the situation in New York is not much better: he lost four games with his partner and won only one singles.
His four-man two-goal overall record was terrible (4-0) and he scored only two points in all nine games he played with his partner. By comparison, he won two of these three singles matches, halving one.
Perhaps the secret that Schaffler played for himself (“this is not everything”) didn’t work when he played with his partner and flew the star-striped flags at the same time.
Many speculate that Schaffler needs to care more at the Ryder Cup.
But maybe he doesn’t need to care too much.
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