The ‘underrated’ trait that Scottie Scheffler, Tiger Woods share in frequent

Like good and breathtaking, Tiger-like is an adjective that needs to be used sparingly.

However when assessing Scottie Scheffler’s 2024, it’s onerous not to attract Tiger Woods comparisons, and never solely as a result of Woods was wanting on approvingly on the Hero World Problem Sunday when Scheffler joined Woods and Vijay Singh as the one gamers within the trendy period to have received 9 occasions — 9 occasions, Mrs. Bueller! — in a season.

It’s the completeness of Scheffler’s recreation that almost all evokes peak Woods, paired with Scheffler’s superhuman capacity to finds methods to win even when he’s not at his sharpest. On Sunday night, after his breezy six-shot win within the Bahamas, Scheffler was requested if he was happy along with his final-round nine-under 63. His reply urged that he was not, or at the least not totally.

“Yeah,” he started. “I imply, you already know, I’m very grateful to be sitting right here with the trophy. My purpose or no matter going into immediately was to hopefully win the match and I felt like I performed ok golf to win and was in a position to get it achieved.”

Ok, LOL. This on a day when no different participant managed higher than a 67.  

Scheffler wanted to beat “solely” 19 different gamers at Albany, however his stat line indicated that, if requested of him, he probably would have beat 119. Or, for that matter, 1,119.

Scheffler led the sector in at least 11 statistical classes, together with SG: Tee-to-Inexperienced (+3.23), SG: Strategy (+1.69), 3 Putt Avoidance (0) and Scoring Common (67.8). Little of that dominance ought to have come as a shock given it was merely a continuation of what Scheffler has been doing all season. In 2024, he leads the Tour in SG: Tee to Inexperienced (+2.401), SG: Strategy the Inexperienced (1.277), Scoring Common (68.645) and Birdie Common (4.88).       

“A fairly enjoyable yr,” is how Scheffler, in his usually unassuming fashion, summed up his $63 million season Sunday. Makes you surprise what would qualify as a very enjoyable yr. To recap, Scheffler received his second inexperienced jacket, defended his Gamers title, received 5 different signature occasions, together with the Tour Championship, which gave him FedEx Cup honors. He additionally received a gold medal in Paris and, oh yeah, turned a father.   

Scheffler is making the sport — and successful — look straightforward. He’ll let you know neither of this stuff is true. In reality, he stated as a lot Sunday. “I’d say that golf very hardly ever feels straightforward,” he stated. “I see numerous the gamers out right here once they have nice rounds, it appears really easy and then you definitely get achieved and also you discuss to them about it and it’s by no means actually that straightforward.”

That’s very true when expectations are excessive, as they’ve been for Scheffler all yr lengthy. Successful could beget successful, nevertheless it additionally begets the belief from others that extra wins are coming. Certainly, it’s one factor to prevail while you’re cruising beneath the radar and shoot a cool Sunday 64 to sneak up on the pack and nab, say, your third-career title. It’s fairly one other while you’re the prohibitive betting favourite, going through the media after each spherical and anticipated to be within the hunt. That’s a distinct type of stress that few gamers have needed to face.

Ask Justin Thomas, who early final week stated of Scheffler: “I believe it’s simply underrated how effectively he’s enjoying for [people] anticipating [him] to play that effectively. I don’t suppose folks perceive how troublesome it’s to win while you’re anticipated to win or when each single individual expects you to play effectively, and also you anticipate you to play effectively after which to nonetheless play effectively. I believe expectations are one thing, it’s very, very onerous to handle. It actually is simply as a lot of a expertise as with the ability to management your distance along with your wedges or flight a driver or hit it far — no matter it’s, is with the ability to keep current, keep within the second.”

Thomas stated that amongst his Tour brethern nobody is best at executing these psychological gymnastics than Scheffler and Xander Schauffele, who received two majors this yr.    

“It’s very onerous to clarify, nevertheless it’s so onerous to do typically,” continued Thomas, who himself is aware of slightly one thing about successful in bunches (in 2017 he received 5 occasions, together with a significant). “It’s typically even more durable while you’re enjoying that effectively as a result of it’s straightforward to suppose like, effectively, if I maintain enjoying like this, I’m going to win this match, I’m going to win the subsequent match and the subsequent one versus actually — I imply, Tiger all the time talked about it, each shot’s a very powerful shot you’ve ever hit in your life, and after you hit that one, you go do it once more and subsequent factor you already know you’re like oh, I received once more. That’s a tough factor to do. To me, that’s been essentially the most spectacular factor from Scottie.”

No argument right here.