Scheffler's strong mind to be put to the test as expectations rise

ATLANTA (AP) — Scottie Scheffler looked old even when he was young, so it was worth taking stock of his words when his final task of golf's greatest season in nearly two decades was complete.

“I feel like I've lived almost a full lifetime in this one year,” he said after winning the FedEx Cup at East Lake. “It's been nuts.”

Consider a timeline of images from the Year of Scottie.

Scheffler sat on a chair behind the 14th tee as his trainer massaged his neck for pain that had him considering whether he should withdraw. He stuck it out, and two days later rallied from five behind to become the first player to win back-to-back at The Players Championship.

He slipped into the green jacket at Augusta National. He cradled his firstborn, Bennett, a few weeks later. He wore an orange jumpsuit in a Louisville, Kentucky, jail after a most peculiar arrest during a major championship. The Olympic gold medal was draped around his neck when he raised his arm to wipe tears during the national anthem. He raised the FedEx Cup trophy.

It's been nuts.

It also spoke to his most powerful asset that allowed him to win eight times, including that Olympic gold medal when he trailed by six shots on the back nine at Le Golf National in Paris.

There was so much negativity about his putting, some of it justified, particularly on courses like Riviera and Pinehurst No. 2 where Scheffler simply couldn't see clearly. There is constant attention on the “Scheffler Shuffle,” his feet sliding back and twisting on drives that quite often sail long and straight.

Not nearly enough attention is paid to his head.

“My goal to start the week was just to have the right attitude and use what I feel like is my best strength, and that's my mind,” Scheffler said.

He was speaking about the Tour Championship, a four-day tournament that felt like it lasted longer because it was his third time playing as the No. 1 seed, and he slept on a lead that was at least four shots for the last three rounds. Big leads are nice, but they're not easy.

It was like that all year, and it explains how he could take on so many big moments, whether it was facing a big deficit or a second-degree felony assault charge (later dismissed), whether it was newfound fame or a newborn son.

His caddie, Ted Scott, recalls Tom Kim coming up to him after the Olympics and asking, “How does Scottie stay so grounded with all that's going on?”

“It's a great testament to who he is,” Scott said. “You could very quickly have the year he's had and act in a certain way. Scottie is ruthless. He'll put you in the ground. You wouldn't think he's nice if you were competing against him. But as soon as it's over, it's different.”

Scheffler needed all the mental strength he could muster early in the year, when he was coming up on a full year since his last PGA Tour victory and there was a constant conversation about his putting. There were whispers he wasn't really the No. 1 player in golf.

Scheffler doesn't spend time reading and he tries not to listen. But it's hard to ignore.

“Blocking out noise? That doesn't exist,” Scheffler said in March before going to Bay Hill, the start of his astonishing run. “Your brain can't shut off. You have to focus on something else. You can't not think negative. You have to force your brain into thinking about something else.”

That works both ways — ignoring the criticism and the platitudes, especially the latter because he has won so much.

His mental strength will need to be stronger than ever going forward. Scheffler has the Presidents Cup in two weeks, a title to defend in the Bahamas at the Hero World Challenge after Thanksgiving and then it's on to 2025.

Expectations will be higher than ever, especially with so many comparisons to Tiger Woods.

Woods had no equal during his peak years. He was compared only with the past, Jack Nicklaus and Ben Hogan, Byron Nelson and Sam Snead, not anyone who competed against him. And so it can be unsettling to hear Scheffler being mentioned in the same context.

He is the first player since Woods to win seven times on the PGA Tour in one season (Woods did that four times).

Scheffler needed only 931 days from his first win in the Phoenix Open in 2022 to No. 13, a shorter time than it took Woods to go from his first to his 13th. Woods, of course, won his in his fifth start as a pro and spent 18 months overhauling his swing.

Scheffler's lead in the world ranking is unlike anything seen since Woods in his prime.

Scheffler led the PGA Tour money list at just over $29.2 million this year, with another $33 million in bonus money. But it was Woods and the frenzy he created that made prize money go up in the first place.

Woods had the career Grand Slam at age 24 and is the only one to hold all four majors at the same time. He the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach and the British Open at St. Andrews by a combined 23 shots. He went more than seven years without missing a cut. All those numbers don't illustrate the effect Woods had on golf, and still does in semi-retirement.

Dominance can look different, but it's all about how someone compares with whom they play. Golf hasn't seen a three-year stretch like this since Woods.

For Scheffler, the next chapter will be more like an encore.