Riding the Momentum: Why Scottie Scheffler is unfazed by lack of Quail Hollow experience
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Scottie Scheffler’s PGA Championship campaign at Valhalla twelve months ago was eventful, to say the least.
A mid-tournament stint in the cells of the Louisville PD round didn’t stop the World No.1 from carding a second-round 66, briefly threatening one of the more bizarre comeback wins in sporting history.
However, trusted caddie Ted Scott’s Saturday sabbatical for his daughters’ graduation proved the more turbulent of the two events, with Scottie stumbling round in an uncharacteristic 73 to all but end his Valhalla heroics.
He still finished the week in a tie for eighth.
Surely this week should be a breeze, then, comparatively speaking.
While 2025’s Q1 hasn’t been as glittering as last season, Scheffler has registered a top 25 finish in all nine of his starts, comprising six top 10s, a tied-second, and an ominously timed win at last week’s CJ Cup.
His eight-shot battering of the field at TPC Craig Ranch also tied the PGA Tour scoring record of 31-under-par, with a third-round 66 his worst of the week.
It’s why the Texan is remaining true to the processes that have brought him so much success in recent years, as opposed to being swept up by external motivators such as the Grand Slam immortality finally accomplished by Rory McIlroy.
“Golf is kind of an endless pursuit of getting the best out of yourself, and I’m looking forward to continuing to do that as the year goes on,” said Scottie.
“I don’t really set those types of goals for myself. I have some dreams and aspirations that I think about, but I’ve always been at my best when I stay in the present. That’s what works really well for me.”
The world’s undisputed top two are locked at 9/2 with the bookmakers to lift the Wanamaker Trophy come Sunday evening, with LIV’s danger man DeChambeau a clear third favorite at 8/1.
Unlike McIlroy, however, Scheffler doesn’t have a Quail Hollow win on his resume, let alone four. In fact, Scheffler tees it up at this year’s PGA, having only played the golf course once before at the 2022 Presidents Cup.
Scheffler is totally unfazed, however. “When you play the Presidents Cup here, you play so many rounds. I played four competitive rounds and a bunch of practice rounds. I don’t feel like I’m playing any sort of catch-up getting ready for the week.
“On this golf course, with it being so big, it’s a little bit easier just to step on the tee box, and pretty much every hole is a driver. Outside of that off the tee, there’s not really a bunch of strategy stuff you can do.
“This week may be more of a 5-wood week just because the golf course is going to play really long. You have to be able to land the ball up on the green. You can’t really run it up around this golf course. That’s one aspect that you’ve got to think about,” he added.
Earlier in the afternoon, Justin Thomas – Quail Hollow’s 2017 PGA Champion – spoke of how the course is a perfect fit for those who can drive the ball long and straight, playing right into McIlroy’s wheelhouse.
And while on paper, McIlroy is the man to beat this week, particularly with the weight of the Green Jacket now off his shoulders, Scottie’s game should suit Quail Hollow pretty well too. Scheffler sits a close second in the strokes gained off-the-tee rankings this season, and tops the Northern Irishman on the tee-to-green leaderboard.
If both bring their A-games this week, then the destiny of the Wanamaker Trophy will likely be decided on who has the hottest putter, and despite well-documented improvements on the greens, it’s still the first area of his game that Scottie would trade given the chance, with a pinch of Jon Rahm passion.
“So today I played a practice round with Sam Burns, and I remember when we played the Presidents Cup here in 2022, it was like he was putting to a hole that was the size of a basketball hoop. I do a lot of practice rounds with Sam, and he’s a tremendous putter. I would trade that with him.
“You look at a guy like Jon Rahm, like I love the way he plays with passion over every shot. It’s very rare for him to lose focus, and you kind of see that in his face when he plays. He plays so competitively. Tiger was kind of the same way. Tiger was obviously the best at it, but every shot he hit was the most important shot that he’s ever hit,” he continued.
Scheffler opens his PGA Championship campaign alongside Rory and defending champion Xander Schauffele on Thursday, describing being grouped with players of this calibre as providing some of his “fondest memories.”
And while 2025 has gotten off to a relatively pedestrian start, by Scottie’s standards at least, returning to the winner’s circle has wrestled back some positive momentum that he intends on riding into Quail Hollow.
Maybe he will consider grabbing an Uber to the course this time, though, just to be on the safe side.
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Scottie Scheffler addressed the media ahead of his 2025 PGA Championship campaign at Quail Hollow.
