Scottie Scheffler is quite simply the best there is in professional golf when it comes to consistent ball-striking.
Whilst Scheffler doesn’t have the prettiest swing to watch, his club face returns to the ball perfectly square every single time.
Scheffler decided to skip the Truist Championship this week after his superb win in his home state at TPC Craig Ranch.
The way that he dominated the field at the CJ Cup Byron Nelson last week sent out a strong message to his rivals.
Xander Schauffele admitted that he was blown away by Scheffler’s eight-shot win at CJ Cup Byron Nelson last week.
The 28-year-old Texan will be red-hot favourite to win the PGA Championship next week, alongside Rory McIlroy of course.
But what makes Scheffler a contender to win so consistently?
Claude Harmon says what always shocks him about Scottie Scheffler
Harmon knows all there is to know about elite level golfers.
He watched his father Butch coach Tiger Woods during his prime years from the late 90’s through to the early 2000’s.
The famous golf coach has also worked closely with the likes of Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka and Ernie Els over the years.
The fact that Harmon is shocked by Scheffler’s quality is a sign that the two-time major winner could well go on to become one of the greats of the game.
On his Son of a Butch podcast, Harmon shared something that shocked him about Scheffler when watching him live.
He said “The guy is a machine. He is so consistent as a player when you watch his game. He can kind of win in a lot of different ways. He can win on incredibly hard golf courses where you ar enot going to shoot super low scores and the last week at the Byron Nelson, 61 in the first round, two 63’s and a 66 to throw in there and 31 under.
“He can win major championships, we know that. He has the game that you need to have to win a major championship. But he also has the game on a golf course that is soft and wide open, TPC Craig Ranch where they played the Byron Nelson is a bomber’s paradise. He hits the ball a long way.
“I mean I am always surprised when I see Scottie Scheffler up close. When he is standing next to other players he is a big guy. He is 6ft 2 or 3. He hits the golf ball a long way and he is just so impressive.
“I think the things that he is doing and the way he is playing golf is very special. I think we are in a really interesting time in professional golf. The way that Scottie goes about playing golf and goes about living his life. His mental approach. I marvel at watching him and his coach Randy Smith, I got to watch them practice at Augusta at The Masters, and the attention Scottie Scheffler has to detail. The attention he has to his grip and set up is very rare in the modern game, when I watch him hit golf balls.
“If I have time I will sit on a driving range and watch him practice and watch the work he and Randy Smith do and the interaction with his caddie, Ted Scott. It’s very unique. It’s very basic. I think his attention to his fundamentals is fun to watch.“
Scheffler tells golf fans secret to spot when he’s not playing his best
It’s not too often when the two-time Masters champion isn’t on his game is it.
However, Scheffler does have the odd day when he isn’t swinging how he wants to, or perhaps he’s not quite hitting the middle of the club face.
And here’s how you can spot when Scheffler is slightly off his game.
He said, “I tried to draw that one. So it’s funny, like when I’m swinging good, when I hit a draw, most people won’t know, but what happened there, I could feel the club get behind me on the way down, so I tried to save it at the last second. The draw swing is more a product of me just not swinging the way that I need to.“
The thing with Scheffler is that even when he’s not at his best, he is still very capable of competing.
And that’s the reason why he will undoubtedly go on to win many more majors throughout the rest of his career.
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