Smylie Kaufman has outlined the two differences he has noticed in Scottie Scheffler from 2023 to 2024 which help explain why the world number one has had such an unbelievable season.
Scottie Scheffler‘s incredible 2024 saw another milestone at the weekend, with the 28-year-old coming from four shots back to win the Olympic gold medal at Le Golf National. Scheffler tied the course record with his 62 on Sunday as he went on to beat Tommy Fleetwood by one shot. Jon Rahm labelled Scheffler’s round a ‘joke’.
Of course, Scheffler has now won seven times this year, while he has only finished outside the top 10 in two events. He won his second green jacket at The Masters, while he also triumphed at the likes of Bay Hill, The Players and The Memorial.
It somehow makes Scheffler’s two wins before the FedEx Cup play-offs in 2023 almost look average. There is surely no question that he has taken his game to another level over the last 12 months.
Smylie Kaufman outlines difference in Scottie Scheffler from 2023 to 2024
And speaking on The Smylie Show, Kaufman shared what he believes the big changes from last year to this one have been from Scheffler.
“I’m just going to use The Players Championship and the Olympics because that’s how we started this conversation, very similar in the way in which he won these events. And when you look at the final 18 holes, we can point out the birdies, but what I see were all of the pars that he had are just easy, easy pars. Stress free,” he said.
“He referenced a nice par putt he made on the 13th hole today, but just not having to grind over 10 footers for par two or three or four times a round, what he’s able to do is he makes the hard holes look really easy, he gives himself birdie looks where other guys are giving themselves par tap-ins or lengthy par looks. Not many guys, like Scottie, over and over again can play the eighth hole at The Players Championship and have a legitimate birdie look, but that’s the type of shots and the high quality shots that Scottie Scheffler is able to hit throughout a round.
“When it comes to what the difference is, I think the easy pars is one, but the putter, like you mentioned, is another, so he’s got confidence in that. And I don’t mind Ted coming in and reading putts, especially when you look at The Open Championship, and if you watch Scottie at all that week, you just saw him constantly just head up in the air with his hands on the face, like ‘you’re kidding me, I can’t buy a putt’.”
Frightening to think what Olympic champion could yet achieve
As Kaufman notes, Scheffler earmarked a par putt as one of the most important shots he had during his final round at Le Golf National. He is simply relentless and just does not seem to make big mistakes when he is moving through the field.
Putting remains a weakness for Scheffler as he is 90th on the PGA Tour for strokes gained with the flat stick this season. But that represents huge progress as he was down in 162nd in the same category last year.
He has been able to win seven times this year while being – by tour standards – an average putter. Imagine what he could be capable of if he jumped another 72 places in 2025.
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