If there’s one thing more talked about Scottie Scheffler‘s stunning 2024 season, it is his attitude on the greens. Scheffler always appears sorted, and he does not care about what happened in the past as long as he is focused on the current shot. Some fans find it “boring,” sure. But Scheffler’s relationship with the sport is as healthy as it can be. Addressing the same, the golfer said, “I don’t think it’s a bad thing at all to be extremely competitive, as long as you’re gracious in winning and in defeat.” So, why are we looking at this today? Well, let’s find out.
Recently, Russell Henley sat down to talk with Smylie Kaufman for The Smylie Show. Eventually, the conversation reached Scheffler and Henley’s play with him during the 2024 President’s Cup. Kaufman shared that he realized Scheffler was more competitive than he could think and called him a “competitive psycho.” So, did Henley feel the same?
“I feel like his demeanor was really steady, calm, and confident the whole time. Sure, there were some moments where we got really excited, but I couldn’t tell. The way he walked into the ball on the 14th hole on Saturday vs. Thursday on the first hole was the exact same.” There was one slight mishap. On the first day, the then 22-year-old Tom Kim buried a birdie putt from just inside 30 ft on the par-3 seventh hole. He turned to his team and yelled an excited: “Let’s Go!” Scheffler’s competitive side didn’t like this one bit. He made his own birdie, turned towards Kim, and yelled back, “What was that?” Besides this, everything did indeed pass smoothly.
While Scheffler has yet to impress us with his games this season, his calm attitude seems to have charmed Henley, who compared him to the legend Jack Nicklaus. “That’s something I think that the greats have all done. Like, demeanor and the speed they’re doing things is the same all the time I’ve heard Jack Nicklaus talk about that. And that’s something I have noticed in him.” To understand Nicklaus, however, take a look at his 1970 interview. The 85-year-old said, “There are all kinds of nervousness. I’m more nervous in the hours before I play. Once I get started, that kind of nervousness disappears.”
Similarly, back in his prime, Nicklaus shared the same competitiveness as Scheffler. Hear it from him: “I do not like to lose. It’s as simple as that. Pride is probably my greatest motivation because I just refuse to get beat, I can’t stand to get beat and hate to have somebody come along and beat me. But I don’t mind losing if the guy plays better than I do.” Sounds like the aforementioned Scheffler quote?
2WPHG35 ORLANDO, FL – MARCH 07: Scottie Scheffler of the United States reacts after a missed putt at the 12th hole during the first round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard at Arnold Palmer Bay Hill Golf Course on March 07, 2024 in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Icon Sportswire) (Icon Sportswire via AP Images)
Back in 2023, Scheffler said it doesn’t matter where he’s playing because he is always excited to compete. Similarly to Nicklaus, he feels heading into the game is more difficult. Now, let’s take a look at what Nicklaus feels about his attitude on the greens.
Jack Nicklaus is just as impressed with Scottie Scheffler as Russell Henley
After his amazing 2024 run, Scottie Scheffler won the Jack Nicklaus Award as PGA Tour Player of the Year. If there’s one thing that Jack Nicklaus appreciates in a golfer, it is their sense of taking responsibility for their games. And it has everything to do with his coach, Jack Grout. “What Jack Grout did was he taught me to be responsible for my own actions, my own golf game.” So, did the legend see this one thing in Scottie Scheffler? Yes.
Early this year, Nicklaus said he feels like the golfers today need to take more responsibility for their games. He says the golfers have the ability to blame others, “I never had any of that stuff. That would have driven me crazy. However, that’s what the deal is today. That’s what the guys do. But I still think that to compete better, I may be wrong but I think Scottie Scheffler appears to take more responsibility for his own game than any of the other guys, and he’s been very successful.”
Scheffler, for his part, is aware of his games on the greens. Last month, at the Genesis Invitational, he accepted that giving himself a chance is important, regardless of the result. Come to this month’s Master’s Tournament press conference, and the golfer said he believes his hand injury did set him back. But hey, he is also confident that he will get his game back. He has learned from TPC Sawgrass.
Additionally, back in 2024, Nicklaus had high praises for the golfer after his stunning performance. Talking about it, the legend said Scheffler is very calm. The 85-year-old, “Look at Scottie play. He doesn’t look like he’s doing anything sensational… I don’t know how I used to play, but he’s playing pretty well. But anyway, he doesn’t make dumb mistakes.” So, the legend found beauty in something that a lot of golf fans find “boring.” With so much praise in tow for his attitude on the greens, what do you think of Scottie Scheffler now? Will you support him for the rest of the season?
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