Photo credit: USGA/Kathryn Riley
Scottie Scheffler is still the No. 1 player in the world and despite being a touch off, he hung around on Sunday, close to the lead.
If a couple of putts could have fallen, Scheffler could have gotten within a shot of the lead, throwing added levels of stress to those fighting for the lead.
Here is the interview with Scheffler after the final round. ACES editor Dennis Miller edited the interview.
Question: Scottie Scheffler, can you just talk us through that round out there today, round 4?
SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: Yeah, I felt like I did some good things out there. A few more putts drop today I think it’s a little different story. My first three days, I felt like I was battling the whole time. Today I hit some shots. I hit some putts that I really thought were going in, hit some lips.
It was just challenging. There was a lot of pitch on the greens and you got to do a lot right in order to hole putts. I was just right on the edge today.
Question: Looks like you ultimately come up just a shot or two short here. What can you take away from the week?
SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: My main takeaway is I battled as hard as I did this week. I was really proud mentally of how I was over the course of four days. I did a lot of things out there that could really kind of break a week, and I never really got that one good break that kind of propels you. I’d hit it this far off, and seemingly every time I did, I was punished pretty severely for it.
Even today, I make that double early, and then I come back, I birdie 4. I hit what I feel like is a good tee shot on 5, and it’s just off the first cut and I don’t have a stance again. Just little things like that add up over the course of a week. That’s the second time this week it’s happened where I thought the ball is in the fairway, I get up there, and I actually don’t have a stance, I’m chipping out sideways.
I hit — I could go on and on. Hitting a pin with an iron shot where the ball should be a foot from the hole and all of a sudden I’ve got 20 feet. Just little stuff like that, where the weeks that you win, you need to have good luck sometimes in order to win tournaments. This week the way I was battling, I wasn’t able to give myself enough chances.
Yeah, I think that’s really what it came down to. If I had four days like I did today, I think it would have been a different story. I was playing kind of behind the eight ball most of the week hitting the ball in the rough. Overall, proud of how I battled, gave myself a chance, but ultimately didn’t have enough.
Question: On 18 tee, 3-over, you think you got a shot right there?
SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: Yeah, I’m going to try to make birdie, hit it in close in there, see if I can hole one. I’m not limiting myself to anything. My first job was to get the ball in the fairway, which I didn’t do. Then I thought to myself, maybe this is the one, maybe this is the time I get the lie, and I got up there, and it was probably the worst lie I had all week. Dang, it was a tough pill to swallow.
Overall, that’s why you hit the ball in the fairway so you don’t have to deal with that stuff. Typically, I’m good at it. This week I wasn’t as good as normal, and I paid the price for it.
Question: Can you comment on the weather? The stoppage and starting, any effect on you at all?
SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: Outdoor sport.
Question: How tough was the golf course to play through heavy rains, had a break, played through heavy rains, the fairways were quite wet, the greens.
SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: The green speeds changed, the fairways were obviously pretty wet. Yeah, I would say maybe after the rain I would think it would play a touch easier just based on the greens being a little slower, being a little softer out there, balls are staying in the fairway. Then again there’s a lot of moisture out there and if the rain’s coming down that’s a big challenge playing a golf course like this. If the rain holds off, maybe a few more birdies, but if it keeps going, it’s going to be pretty tough.
Question: What did you do during the rain delay?
SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: Had some food, sat around a bit. Pretty uneventful.
Question: A question about Sam (third round leader Sam Burns). You played that casual nine holes Wednesday afternoon. Did you see anything that told you this was going to be a good week for him?
SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: I see something from Sam every week that makes me believe he’s going to have a good week. Sam is a really talented player, he’s one of my best friends in the whole world. He’s got the talent to do it. I’m going to be in front of the TV cheering him on now. I was cheering myself on most of the day, and now the tides have turned and it’s time for me to cheer him on, hopefully a big finish for him, and we’ll see what happens.
Q. Did you guys talk about the mindset of what he was facing as a leader?
SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: We talked about some stuff this morning. Obviously it was kind of a weird spot because I wasn’t in the lead, but I had a chance in the tournament. Sam made the comment, Hey, I know you’re trying to win, but have you got anything for me? We had a good chat this morning. That’s not really for me to share with you guys. If he wants to share that, that’s up to him.
We’ve had some great experiences over the years. He’s beat me in a playoff before, and I’ve been able to win some tournaments as well. Like I said, now it’s time for me just to cheer him on and see what he can do.