World number one Scottie Scheffler is looking for his seventh win of 2024 as the PGA Tour makes its way 6200 feet above sea level to Castle Pines Golf Club.
This week’s BMW Championship will see the longest course in PGA Tour history test the world’s best players ahead of the season-ending Tour Championship.
Altitude will play a massive role over the next four days as the FedEx Cup top 50 recalibrate their yardages. Typically, at 6000 feet, the ball will travel 12% further, meaning yardages from last weekend in Memphis are now redundant.
Of course, Scheffler is as meticulous as they come regarding the math, and the American has now spoken about his past experiences at altitude.
Scottie Scheffler details previous struggles at altitude
- READ MORE: Here’s how much prize money is on the line at this week’s BMW Championship at Castle Pines Golf Club
Scheffler, talking to the press ahead of Thursday’s first round, claimed a vacation to Telluride in July somewhat acclimatised him to this week’s surroundings.
“Yeah, so the elevation stuff, I think oddly enough, the vacation we went on kind of mid-July or beginning of July, we went to Telluride, which is a little bit higher than here, and the elevation got to me a little bit,” Scheffler explained. “So I’m kind of glad I got it out of the way then because I have struggled with it from time to time.”
The world number one then went on to recall a tournament he played in Bogota, Colombia.
“I played a tournament on the Korn Ferry Tour here in Colorado, and then we also played in Bogota, which has some pretty extreme elevation there in Colombia. I remember sleeping really bad the first few nights,” Scheffler added. “You have really weird dreams, and you wake up in the middle of the night feeling like you can’t breathe. It’s just weird stuff. I felt like that experience playing at a little bit higher altitude has kind of helped me adjust to this week.”
Scheffler then shared how the Castle Pines’ altitude has impacted him so far this week.
He added, “I was working out in the gym yesterday, and I was definitely getting out of breath a lot faster than I would at home, but I feel like I’m doing a good job of getting adjusted, and then the number stuff is something that we’ve had a system that has worked decent over the past few years, and hoping it continues to work this week.”
BMW Championship: Altitude has been the main talking point among PGA Tour stars
The conditions have been the main talking point in the lead-up to this week’s second playoff event. Justin Thomas claimed dialling yardages would be the biggest challenge, and Xander Schauffele also spoke about the changes he’s made to deal with the unique climate.
Another player who will be watched intensely during the BMW Championship is Rory McIlroy. The Northern Irishman hasn’t performed well recently and will be desperate to put in a positive display ahead of the season-finale in Atlanta.
McIlroy was spotted hitting a 371-yard drive during practice and could massively benefit from his distance off the tee this week.
It’s refreshing to see a different challenge presented, especially in one of the most significant events of the 2024 PGA Tour season.
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