Justin Thomas has theory over why Scottie Scheffler is so good around TPC Sawgrass ahead of the Players Championship

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Nobody seems to enjoy playing at TPC Sawgrass more than back-to-back Players champion Scottie Scheffler.

Scheffler is the only man in the 51-year history of the tournament to win it two seasons in a row and he could make even more history this week.

The world number one has the chance to equal Jack Nicklaus’ record for the most Players Championship victories (three) and you wouldn’t put it past him.

Ahead of the first round, 2021 winner Justin Thomas has explained why Sawgrass suits Scheffler’s game so well.

• READ MORE: The change Tiger Woods suggested could be made to TPC Sawgrass which would make the golf course even harder

Why Justin Thomas thinks Scottie Scheffler loves TPC Sawgrass

TPC Sawgrass is one of the most well-known golf courses in the world, with the par-3 17th up there with the most famous holes.

It puts even the top player’s games to the test with the many challenging shots required, albeit Scheffler has made them look easy in recent times.

We all know that every aspect of the 28-year-old’s game is strong, but Thomas has picked the area which he thinks is most advantageous around Sawgrass.

“I think driving the ball is extremely important here, which I think is a huge reason Scottie has not only done well here but everywhere, but especially here.

“Driving the ball is a premium because you have a lot of scoring clubs and four par-5s and birdie opportunities.

“So getting it in play off the tee, and then from there really just taking each hole and each shot for what it’s worth.”

Scottie Scheffler explains why TPC Sawgrass design is ‘genius’

Scheffler might be the only man on the planet who could dismiss the difficulty of Sawgrass after his back-to-back wins at The Players.

However, he did the opposite in his pre-tournament press conference as he explained that the course is so tricky due to Pete Dye’s “genius” design.

“Playing good. I mean, you can’t fake it around this place. I think there’s a lot of genius in the way the golf course is designed.

“There is some volatility in terms of the hazards. That provides a lot of volatility for how the golf course can play, especially in high winds.

“But at the end of the day, I think there’s a lot of genius in the golf course. Like you look at a hole like No. 1, to fade off the tee is a draw into the green. You look at No. 2, it’s a draw off the tee. 4 is a fade off the tee. 5 is a fade. 6 is a draw. 7 is a draw.

“It calls for different shots on each hole. You have to work the ball both ways. You have to play shots. If there’s no conditions, you can play a little bit of robot golf, but at the end of the day, I think you’ve got to show up, play shots, do things differently.”