Jordan Spieth has revealed something about Scottie Scheffler that he’s really not enjoying at the moment.
It’s been a mixed start to the season for the three-time major champion. Three missed cuts, including a Friday exit at Augusta, have accompanied three top-ten finishes.
Spieth’s most recent outing at the RBC Heritage was also reasonably underwhelming. His finishing score of six-under, on paper, looks good. However, the 30-year-old finished 13 shots back of the eventual winner, Scheffler.
The year’s second major is now firmly in view, and Spieth is competing in this week’s Byron Nelson in a bid to regain form ahead of the PGA Championship at Valhalla.
What has Jordan Spieth said about Scottie Scheffler?
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Speaking ahead of this week’s competition at TPC Craig Ranch, just north of Dallas, Spieth has admitted he’s pleased for Scheffler as the two-time Masters champion enjoys a rich vein of form.
“I have known Scottie since he was really, really young,” he said [footage from TenGolf]. “Not that I wasn’t, but he was really, really young. I think he is a better person than he is a player.
“And having known somebody and seen them come up, he went to the University of Texas; I am nothing but extremely excited and happy for him, and it’s well deserved.”
Spieth also suggested that he’s taking inspiration from Scheffler’s current performance level.
He added: “On the flip side, it is the first time that I have ever looked at somebody younger than me, and it’s driven inspiration. I am inspired by what he is doing; it makes me want to go out and get better, and that’s always been someone who’s been older than me.
“It’s the first time I have felt that way about someone younger, especially because I play a decent amount of rounds with him here in town.”
However, the 30-year-old has also admitted that seeing the 27-year-old dominate week-on-week “sucks”.
“I am constantly seeing it, I’m trying to beat him, and when he is playing better than I am, it sucks,” he explained.
“I don’t enjoy it when I am side by side because for however many years of our life, it wasn’t that way. It’s flipped, and I feel I have plenty of runways to be able to get it back, but it’s inspiring at the same time to try and make that happen.
“I have nothing in my way of being able to make that happen but my own self. I believe in my ceiling, and I believe my ceiling is as high as anybody’s.
“I have to get each part of my game up towards its ceiling; I have a couple of areas that are about at it right now and a couple of areas that need to get there. I feel like if I do it, we could go on a few runs together, I guess.”
Can Jordan Spieth stop Scottie Scheffler’s current run?
How does anyone stop Scheffler from landing another major championship at Valhalla? His consistency and ball striking are unmatched, meaning it will take something pretty special to prevent him from landing a third major.
It feels like one of the elite players will have to step up. Rory McIlroy, Collin Morikawa, Jon Rahm and Spieth are just a few names – when at their best – could match Scheffler’s levels.
It’s undoubtedly an intriguing period. This kind of dominance hasn’t been seen since Tiger Woods’ prime, and someone to consistently rival Scheffler wouldn’t be a bad thing.
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