CHARLOTTE, N.C. — World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler stated his victory on the CJ Cup Byron Nelson two weeks in the past was one other signal that his swing has been “coming round” and bodes nicely as he heads into this week’s PGA Championship at Quail Hole Nation Membership.
“I talked a bit bit about how I felt like my sport was trending, so it was good to see some outcomes from lots of exhausting work to begin the 12 months, and I really feel like my sport is in a great place,” Scheffler stated about his first win of the season. “I feel it might be foolish to say I can not trip a bit little bit of that momentum going into this match.”
Scheffler, who received the CJ Cup by eight strokes after capturing rounds of 61, 63, 66 and 63 at TPC Craig Ranch, stated Tuesday that he felt his ballstriking in the beginning of the season had been holding him again from returning to the shape he confirmed when he received eight instances final season.
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The 2-time Masters winner missed the primary month of the season whereas recovering from hand surgical procedure after his hand was punctured by a damaged wine glass. Scheffler didn’t tee it up till the Pebble Seaside Professional-Am in February and, although he hadn’t been in a position to safe a win till the Byron Nelson, he has had six top-10 finishes.
“I had put in lots of exhausting work within the offseason to make some enhancements to my sport, and abruptly you form of lose these when you must go a month with out with the ability to spend time within the gymnasium and with the ability to do my regular observe,” Scheffler stated. “Was it harder than I assumed? I do not suppose so. I feel I had fairly honest expectations of myself. I knew it wasn’t going to be tremendous straightforward.”
Regardless of the success he has had over the previous two years, Scheffler typically likes to say that he’s finest when he stays within the second and would not take into consideration previous outcomes or pictures. However even he can acknowledge that, all through his profession, coming off a win has typically helped spark runs of success.
“I prefer to suppose I do not trip lots of the momentum from the missed cuts or poor begins, no matter it’s. I really feel like I’ve at all times been fairly first rate at bouncing again,” Scheffler stated. “Once I obtained my first win in 2022, I received some tournaments fairly rapidly after that. So it might be foolish to say that I do not trip a few of that momentum.”
As Scheffler has slowly been rounding his manner again into kind, he has watched as Rory McIlroy is having a season akin to his 2024 run. McIlroy has three wins, together with the Gamers Championship and the Masters, and now has a Grand Slam to his identify. After McIlroy was candid about how Scheffler’s success final 12 months motivated him, now it is Scheffler who finds himself in that place.
“It is at all times motivating once you simply get beat, and in golf you are likely to get beat so much. You do not actually get to win that many tournaments,” Scheffler stated. “He is positively improved and made some adjustments in his sport from final 12 months. There’s at all times little issues I am making an attempt to do to get higher, and I feel that is why we preserve coming again. Golf is form of an limitless pursuit of getting the perfect out of your self, and I am trying ahead to persevering with to do this because the 12 months goes on.”
Regardless of not profitable a PGA Championship in 5 begins, Scheffler has completed inside the highest 10 in 4 of these appearances, together with a runner-up end to Brooks Koepka at Oak Hill in 2023.
A win at Quail Hole this week would put Scheffler midway to a Grand Slam, which he stated is a aim that he hasn’t but set for himself.
“I do not actually set these sorts of objectives for myself. I’ve some goals and aspirations that I take into consideration, however I’ve at all times been at my finest after I keep within the current,” Scheffler stated. “It takes a lifetime of labor to have the ability to also have a probability to win main championships, not to mention win all 4 of them.”
