One of the players who has a big point to prove heading into the Presidents Cup is, perhaps surprisingly, the world number one, Scottie Scheffler.
Scottie Scheffler, of course, has had one of the all-time great seasons on the PGA Tour, winning eight times worldwide and clinching The Tour Championship for the first time in his career. He has added a second major title to his resume, and won an Olympic gold medal.
The 28-year-old is looking set to return to action at the Presidents Cup, with Jim Furyk’s men looking to continue their dominance in an event which the USA has only lost on one occasion.
Fans of the Internationals may be concerned about the prospect of facing this version of Scheffler at Royal Montreal. However, Scheffler has, so far, not proved to be the same animal when representing his country in these team competitions.
Why Scottie Scheffler usually struggles in matchplay
Scheffler made a fantastic start to his Ryder Cup career in 2021, winning 2.5 points from his three matches, with the highlight coming when he beat Jon Rahm 4&3 in the singles.
But remarkably, Scheffler has not actually won a match in the Ryder Cup or Presidents Cup since. He took half a point from his four matches from Quail Hollow in 2022, while he managed two halves in Rome last year. And of course, no-one will ever forget Scheffler and Brooks Koepka losing 9&7 to Viktor Hovland and Ludvig Aberg.
It is bizarre that Scheffler has such an underwhelming record. But speaking on The First Cut Podcast, Kyle Porter suggested the reason why he is not as dominant in this format.
“I think what’s interesting about Scottie is one of his great skills does not necessarily come into play in matchplay. He’s such a good course manager, he eliminates mistakes, and I guess it can help in matchplay, but it doesn’t necessarily,” he said.
“So I think he’s really built so perfectly for 72 holes of stroke play. In matchplay, obviously, he’s amazing, he beat Rahm in 2021 at Whistling Straits, I’m not trying to take anything away from him. I’m just saying that the thing that he does maybe best out of everything he does, it’s kind of somewhat irrelevant in matchplay, which I think is an interesting rankle for him.”
Another comparison with Tiger Woods
Obviously, none of the Internationals will be taking Scheffler lightly in Montreal. You would imagine that he will still play at least four matches at the event, and will probably feature in all five should he look to be somewhere near his best.
Tiger Woods has a hugely disappointing Ryder Cup record, having lost 21 of his 37 matches during his career. Admittedly, he has a significantly better record in the Presidents Cup, with no player boasting more wins in the event than the 15-time major champion.
That perhaps means that it should not a huge surprise when someone like Scheffler struggles to realise his potential in these events. It also must be noted that players probably find it easier to raise their game when up against Scheffler.
But it is too soon to write him off in this format. This year has shown on a few occasions that writing Scheffler off usually ends badly.
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