According to history, no player has won a major title and then triumphed on the Tour the following week since Tiger Woods in 2006. Since 1985, when Bernhard Langer won both the Masters and the RBC Heritage, it has been 39 years since someone had done so.
After two holes of the final round, Scheffler went ahead and did it anyhow because there was no other possible conclusion. Superstars of a generation give the extraordinary appearance of being routine, as if it were always meant to be, but regardless of how Scheffler presented it, that is not normal.
The world number one appeared at ease as he won the RBC Heritage by three strokes with a final-round score of 68. He was ahead by one going into the fourth round, but it was almost over after an incredible eagle chip-in on No. 2 that Scheffler made look ordinary. The last sixteen holes were a formality, a tardy inauguration for King Scheffler that was postponed until Monday due to weather. Monday morning, Scheffler completed his last 3 holes, finishing with a pointless bogey on number 18.
“In terms of greatness for time, we’ve seen people do this over the years, albeit briefly. His seems to be sustained from a lot of folks for a little while longer than I can recall. What he does is not shocking at all. He simply repeats the action repeatedly. That is incredible. He almost gives the impression that doing it is really realistic.” Max Homa said.
The quote from Homa wasn’t from Sunday. Less than 24 hours before the tournament started, on Wednesday, he made this evaluation, which is even more accurate today than it was then.
Throughout the week, Scheffler made two bogeys or worse. His first came on the third hole in his opening round, when he double bogeyed. The second occurred on hole 72. Between, the golf was perfect. In his last 5 starts, Scheffler has triumphed 4 times. In his last 50 starts on the TOUR, he has won 10 times. Since the beginning of March, he has only lost to one player: Stephan Jaeger at the Texas Children’s Houston Open.
Leading players acknowledged there was a gulf between them and Scheffler throughout the first half of the week as they marvelled at his accomplishment. Still, following a victory—especially a significant championship—there should be some disappointment. It’s an exhausting and mentally trying event. Even the most skilled competitors can become exhausted due to the strain and vigour of competition, but Scheffler is an exacting planner who approaches practice sessions with the purpose, close to the intensity, of a championship round.
On Wednesday, he made his first appearance at Harbour Town Golf Links. He had taken the first half of the week off to recover from his Masters victory and rest at home. It wasn’t until he played the first round that he saw the front nine of the course. He acknowledged that he had one eye on his wife Meredith in Dallas, where she was getting closer to giving birth to their first child. If she went into labour, he was ready to abandon the course at any time. As it happened, that was the field’s only hope.
Scheffler’s slow start was caused by the short practice period and rapid turnaround; on Thursday, he was even for his opening 15 holes. He was 6 strokes behind after Round 1 despite birdieing Nos. 16 and 17 for a 2-under 69. Ted Scott, his caddie, had noticed a hint of weariness.
The great ones, however, remain calm because they know that eventually their superior game will prevail. Although Scheffler would never say it, his clubs speak for him. On Friday, he shot 6-under 65, and the deficit was only 3 that evening. After that, on Saturday, he shot 63 to eliminate any doubt: he was going to win once more.
“Truly, he is a physically impressive specimen. He’s in amazing physical condition, and mental toughness is a prerequisite. In order to be mentally fit, you must first get your body into physical shape.” Scott said.
Scheffler claimed that he had never been in a better mental state while playing golf.
“When I think back to Bay Hill, I realise that I had some bad beginnings there, particularly on the greens. I’m just pleased with how fast I’ve been able to recover from the small errors I made during the round and deal with the surprises and other situations when things don’t go exactly as I had hoped. I believe that my ability to handle that has improved.” he said.
One very good example occurred on Sunday night as night fell. On the 15th par-5 hole, Scheffler stood in the centre of the fairway and hooked a 4-iron into the water. He was taken aback. The strike was firm and the swing was good. However, he was blind to the sludge that covered the ball.
Scheffler still had a five-point lead and plenty of breathing room, but he was unwilling to give up. Though he could have waited and putted the 11-foot par putt in the morning like his playing companion, Sepp Straka, he swung a wedge around the towering trees that guarded the course and buried it.
“To maintain my place and not really give the men behind me too much hope, I have to be relatively satisfied with anything like that.” Scheffler said.
Having known Scheffler since their junior golf days, Burns was unable to detect any change in Scheffler over the week. Nothing had changed, but for his tardiness in arriving.
Burns described him as “just his normal self, pretty laid back.”
Burns compared Scheffler’s play, which hasn’t altered much over the years, to this ; stating that there was always the potential to be in control.
“He’s got amazing golfing form. In addition to being incredibly talented, he exudes confidence. It’s a useful combination. When all three of those factors come into play, you get what you get. He’s by far the best golfer in the world.” Burns said.
Scheffler acknowledged that even if it still surprises him, he is beginning to notice that his stature is altering. On Saturday, big crowds gathered to witness him tee off. He glanced back at those same stands a few hundred yards away when he got to the first green. Even with the last five groups yet to tee off, they were empty.
“It caught my interest much. On Saturday, I had the impression that the crowd was following me, and there were many cheers.” he said ; obviously still surprised.
For the Texan, it is uncharted ground. Despite being the world’s number one player for the past 48 weeks, he was rarely regarded as a sports icon by the general public. Even though he is sincere, his quiet demeanour does not appeal to everyone, and he has purposefully stayed out of the spotlight. Now, though, the attraction is his dominance. As the golf world avidly watches Scheffler make history, the crowds are larger and the cheers are louder, and everyone is wondering: How long can he keep it going ?
“People enjoy seeing something unique, and they are doing so. A person like him is easier to support and rally around.” Scott said.
The last player to win four out of five starts was Woods, back in 2008. Since 1983, only David Duval has required fewer starts to move from the 1st-place finish to the 10th. Scheffler shot 68 in the last round, which was his 40th straight round of par or better. In 36 of those rounds, he has done better than the field average. Fans swarm towards supremacy. Nelly Korda has won 5 straight games in the women’s division, and it’s happening. It is also going the same for Scheffler.
Given that Scheffler is going to become a father and move golf lower down his priority list, perhaps things will change. Perhaps he will have to take a break from his practice and preparation in order to focus on becoming a better parent than a golfer. Then perhaps he will slip off the rankings.
I grew up seeing Tiger’s last dominating games. I saw Jordan (Spieth), DJ (Dustin Johnson), and Rory (McIlroy) kind of dominate for a while, and I thought, “We might be in the midst of something really, really special.”
Theegala appeared to have foreseen what would happen, and perhaps he did. Perhaps, in our hearts, we all did.
