“What Was That?”: Scottie Scheffler’s Unshackling at the Presidents Cup Is Exactly What the PGA Tour Was Missing

Tell me again, when was the last time we saw Scottie Scheffler this fired up? On second thought, let’s rephrase that a bit. When did we ever see Scottie Scheffler fired up? You can guess the fire inside him but never feel the heat. Until Thursday, when Tom Kim managed to nettle him a bit with a fist pump after a birdie.

“What was that?” Scheffler took less than a few minutes to snap back at a good friend, Kim, after matching that birdie with his own. Scottie Scheffler and Tom Kim are buddies, and it was all in fun. Regardless, it does a lot for a tournament suffering from an identity crisis. But more than that, it shows a side of the world no.1, whose existence was under heavy doubt for some. 

Scheffler shrugs off his ‘boring’ tag

It’s hard to guess how bothered Scheffler was by the boring tag. Nevertheless, enough blame has fallen on Scheffler’s stoicism. He has matched, sometimes exceeded, what another world no.1 did two decades ago. But he hasn’t quite come close to what Tiger Woods inspired in millions. 

But the men sitting at Ponte Vedra will surely count Royal Montreal fireworks as a positive sign. It certainly does well for the commish, Jay Monahan to have the best player rise like that. In the 6’3” man from Texas, Monahan can find an icon who not only delivers the numbers but attracts new sponsors (and eyeballs) as well. 

More so, when you don’t have a swaggering 31-year-old named Bryson DeChambeau. And, your TV ratings are in a freefall despite the best efforts from the world no.1.

It has been often said that Greg Norman has taken the villains out of the Tour. But then DeChambeau showed how quickly a villain can turn the apple of people’s eye. Think of how patrons and spectators lapped up the LIV golfer from Georgia to North Carolina via Kentucky. 

They needed a star to connect with. Now, Royal Montreal wasn’t a proper venue for the pulse check—even Tom Kim was a bit dismayed—but imagine that at Bay Hill next year. Or at Oakmont. Or better still at The Match in November. 

Can LIV Golfers bring out the ‘dawg’ in Scottie Scheffler?

The significance of ‘The Match’, despite its rather diminutive ‘Made of TV’ tag, is not lost on anyone. It will pit the Masters champion against the reigning U.S. Open champion. Of course, there is the side story of Rory McIlroy and Bryson DeChambeau dueling again. But the subtext is one of the PGA Tour vs LIV Golf. 

There is a good reason to believe Scheffler won’t pull any punches. Let’s also not ignore the power of match play. Think of Nelly Korda walking up to the first tee at the Solheim Cup. When did you ever see or even expect that from an otherwise introverted Korda?

Let’s not forget we are talking about a man who was a bit offended upon being told he might not score against NBA pros. The same person who was in a heated argument with two elderly gentlemen about pickleball? Reason? He thought he would hammer them in a 2 vs. 1 match. He had just won the fourth title in his last five starts.

And, here is what Kim said on Thursday: “I knew he was going to come out firing. I’ve played too much golf with him to know what he was gonna do.” Kim knew what he was talking about. Scheffler is not one to let go of an opportunity to trash his playing mates. The question is, will he do it when not among friends? 

That’s what ‘The Match’ will tell us. One can safely bet on Bryson DeChambeau’s penchant for firing up playing mates, rivals, and the spectators who will be there. It remains to be seen if Scottie Scheffler can feed off the crowd or, better still, take the matter into his own hands. 

“Brooks has five major championships. That’s a pretty cool record for him. He’s had a great career. He’s a guy I love competing against. You’ve got Bryson with all his stuff. I think he’s a fun guy to be around,” the 13-time PGA Tour winner said. Think Scottie Scheffler will pass on DeChambeau’s or Brooks Koepka’s trash talk? Think again.