Two weeks after finishing tied for fifth at the AT&T Byron Nelson in McKinney, Texas, Scottie Scheffler is eager to give the home crowd another strong performance this weekend at the Charles Schwab Challenge.
Scheffler, who grew up in Dallas, will be at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas, as he tries to build on last year’s runner-up finish. He lost in a playoff to Sam Burns, who earned his fourth career PGA Tour victory.
“I’m typically pretty hungry to win whatever event it is. I show up expecting to come here and play well and do my best,” Scheffler said. “I’m hoping for a good finish this week, but I try not to look too far ahead. I’m just getting ready for (Thursday) morning, going really late this week. Get a little practice in this afternoon and then go home and try to get some sleep.”
Scheffler also finished second in his most recent event, the PGA Championship, on Sunday.
“Form feels pretty good,” Scheffler said. “I took two good days of rest (Tuesday) and Monday. Majors typically wear me out pretty good, so it was nice kind of getting home and just getting to relax a little bit.
“As far as this week goes, the golf course seems like it’s in really good shape again. Greens are rolling nice. Looking forward to another week here at Colonial.”
With the second-place finish last week at Oak Hill, Scheffler moved back into the No. 1 spot in the Official World Golf Ranking. Although he said he doesn’t pay too much attention to the rankings, he’s looking forward to getting to sport his new title at an event that brings him back to his childhood.
“I grew up coming to this tournament. Being able to come here and play the golf course and compete is definitely very special for me,” Scheffler said. “I’ve grown up dreaming of being out here, and now being on the other side where I’m inside the ropes and trying to do my best and compete is definitely very special.”
Although he has gotten to spend time at home to recuperate, Scheffler said that he was still worn out from playing in a major. But with that exhaustion comes some benefits, and now Scheffler is focused on bringing a high level of energy back to the Lone Star State.
“I think the majors definitely kind of sharpen your focus just because the golf course is so challenging and you have to be on for all 18 holes,” Scheffler said. “Any time you lose focus out there, you tend to get punished for it pretty good. So that’s kind of where the wear down factor comes from, just from being at such a high level of focus.
“That’s the type of energy I’m trying to bring to more of the regular Tour events, just that intensity for all four days, not just when you’re in contention or not just when I’m playing really well. … So bringing that same intensity, and I think the majors is a good way to train my brain to do that same sort of thing.”
–Field Level Media
