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Los Angeles – out of nine questions.
for one only.
Scotty Scheffler silenced everyone, right? Mode inquiries disappeared on Thursday like golf balls into golf trophies at the Los Angeles Country Club, though on Tuesday, before this week’s US Open, questions were rolling in faster than golf balls at the LACC.
“I saw you test a golf club yesterday and play with weights. I was wondering what you were looking to get out of that?”
And then:
“How about the racquet you were testing too?”
And then:
“And weight and the like?”
And then:
“Are you changing racquets this week?”
And then:
“What goes into thinking and a philosophy of change before a major like this? How important is this decision to you or anyone else?”
And then:
“Not to overthink, but to change a racket or change equipment for people like you, [is that] Kind of the last line of anything, like after everything else didn’t work? Where does he fit in?”
And then:
Ask the last question. [Editors note: It wouldn’t be.] When you’re trying to warm up on the greens or just put something right, is there anything specific you can go back to maybe mentally or some of the workouts you do just to really focus on your form during an important week like this? “
And then:
“Did you make contact with anyone as a second set of eyes with your status?”
Finally:
How’s Teddy? [Scott, his caddie] Greens help you? ”
Hahahahahaha these questions are justified. The blows were not falling. But it was more than that. Scheffler did everything flawlessly. Check out these numbers: First in scoring average this season, first in strokes earned: putting, first on SG: approaching the green, first on greens in regulation. Peerless. And the scale mode switch?
putrid. He is 148th out of 198 SG Pro: mode.
Golf, right? It can be funny like that. You are good at one thing, and no other. Of course, you don’t win a masters title or move to world No. 1 with a completely boring flat stick. Then again, these things can go on, too.
But then came Thursday and the first round. Scheffler’s work. He changed the rackets. [GOLF’s Ryan Barath expertfully broke it all down here.] And he dropped one from 6ft 8in for birdie on the 9th. He made one from 17ft 10in for birdie on the 10th. He rolled one from 19ft 2in for birdie on the 15th. And he sank one. From 9ft 3in for birdies on the 16th. On 18th, he puts three times, but check SG: puts the number now.
When he finished in between the morning wave, he was in the top 20, and was in the top five on the leaderboard after a three-under 67.
To the above questions, there was the answer.
Then, in front of about 50 reporters, he only got more.
“How can you say you placed today compared to the last tournaments?”
“Very good. I mean, I bowled it really well, and I saw some shots go in. Very good.”
But I was curious. After all the uncertainty over the past few months, after Tuesday’s debriefing, this must feel good. mitigation. to encourage. I followed Scheffler to an interview on the Golf Channel Live. I asked his agent and a USAID official if I could get a word in. I could.
I asked him about 9. For me, that started things, and they needed to get started somewhere.
“I would say it’s important,” Scheffler said as we walked back to the clubhouse. “It was really cool, if that makes sense. It was kind of an unorthodox read because I was in the fall line and I played inside right and I turned right in the middle and then came back right and got in. Good — it’s like hitting a flush iron shot and it goes where you look.” I would say the same thing when you put the ball – when you hit it really well and get into the hole, it certainly doesn’t hurt your confidence.”
Then we had this exchange:
“In the pre-tournament press conference, they were asking you to ask questions after questions after questions.”
Scheffler laughed. I continued.
“How frustrating is that?”
His agent said: I said a question. Let’s go.”
Scheffler said, “I’ll answer. I don’t mind.”
“How frustrating is that and then going out there and putting that aside and playing golf and hitting your putts like you said?”
“I mean, I don’t get frustrated with that kind of thing,” Scheffler said. “The media is 15 minutes of my day, sometimes 30. So it’s not the biggest thing I do. I’ll answer questions and then I’ll do my job.”
him too.