Being the world’s number one golfer comes with its own pressures and responsibilities and Jack Nicklaus has given Scottie Scheffler a mini warning about what not to do now he’s on top.
Scheffler continued his dominance by winning The Memorial to make it three wins from four starts.
With the US Open coming up in a few weeks at Oakmont, Scheffler has firmly positioned himself as the favourite to win his fourth career major.
Nevertheless, being top dog also comes with the knowledge of knowing that realistically, the only way is down if things start to turn.
And speaking after Scheffler won The Memorial, 18-time major winner Jack Nicklaus fired a warning shot to Scheffler.
Jack Nicklaus fires warning to Scottie Scheffler over world number one status
With Scheffler very much not in the category of getting carried away and being big-headed, there’s little chance of him ever stepping off the gas and allowing his celebrity status to take over.
However, that doesn’t mean he’s immune to a dip in form, and sitting alongside Scheffler in the post-round press conference, Nicklaus told Scheffler exactly what not to do.
After Scheffler spoke on not thinking about domination in golf, Nicklaus then chipped in with his own advice.
“Let me sort of add to that. If he is thinking about being the best and starts believing he’s the best, pretty soon he starts scratching his ears out here like this, and that’s death. Once you start to get a big head and you believe you’re too good, then you will get beat,” Nicklaus said.
“As long as you keep trying to play well, climb a mountain, try to feel like he’s trying to get better, trying to be smart, be consistent, and playing what he thinks is the best golf he can play at that particular time, that’s when you play well, not when you’re sitting there saying, ‘Oh, I’m really this good. I can do that’, No, no.
“I never thought that one time when I played. I always felt like, hey, you know, I got 144 guys or whatever it might be out there to play. I’ve got to play well to beat ’em. Once I got myself into position, you know, to win, then you got to be smart about how you finish it. And that’s the way he’s playing.
“He reminds me so much of the way I like to play. I don’t think I played nearly as well as he played. He’s playing better than I played and more consistent. He’s just been playing fantastic, and I love watching him play. Whether it’s here or on the television or whatever it is, I love to watch. Anytime he’s playing, I want to watch.”
No chance of Scottie Scheffler getting ahead of himself
While some sports people have an arrogance about them and you can almost see it will bite them one day, it’s just not there with Scottie Scheffler.
Sure, he knows he is a good player and as world number one, he has every right to think that.
But he is so cool and calm about things and he has the wider picture in his mind that it’s not all just about golf, as you can see with how he is with his family off course.
| Achievements | Scottie Scheffler’s results |
| Events played | 144 |
| Major wins | 3 |
| PGA Tour wins | 16 |
| Top-10s | 70 |
| Top-5s | 51 |
| Cuts made | 125 |
Right now, it’s going to take a mammoth effort from someone to even get close to knocking Scheffler off his perch. His mindset, consistency, and balance he has in his life and golf game will ensure that stays the same for a while.
We never know what the future will bring. But right now, Scheffler is going nowhere fast.
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