Q&A: Scottie Scheffler talks return to TPC Sawgrass, pickleball, ‘bad’ ball striking and first course design project

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – Scottie Scheffler returns to TPC Sawgrass this week as the defending champion at THE PLAYERS Championship and the No. 1 player in the world.

His five-shot victory last year was the largest winning margin at TPC Sawgrass since 2006 and made him just the third player to hold the Masters and PLAYERS titles simultaneously. The others? Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods.

Scheffler pulled away in the final round with five consecutive birdies on Nos. 8-12 to separate himself from the field and cruise to victory. He returned to TPC Sawgrass last Monday for THE PLAYERS media day and sat down with PGATOUR.COM for this Q&A that covered everything from his ballstriking secrets to his love of pickleball and his first golf-course design project.

(Editor’s note: This interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.)

PGATOUR.COM: Being back and being around property, what do you remember from last year? What stands out?

SCHEFFLER: I remember a lot of the final round. I don't really remember too much of the three rounds before that. I feel like I did a good job of staying patient and then when things started going well, I capitalized on that. The (chip-in on No. 8 in the final round) gave me some good momentum and then made a good birdie on nine, made an nice putt on 10 and then good birdies on 11 and 12. I definitely used that momentum for good, and I kept pushing ahead and was able to make things fairly comfortable down the stretch, which was good.

PGATOUR.COM: One of the shots that stands out is the second shot on the par-5 11th, that big cut you hit into the green. Where does your love of shaping shots come from?

SCHEFFLER: I think I always liked figuring out how to get the ball to curve. I grew up playing with a plastic club and a plastic ball, and so with that you have to curve it. And so I used to practice outside our house when we lived in New Jersey and when we moved to Dallas, I would practice inside the house with a ping pong ball sometimes, which I'm sure my parents didn't really love, but they let me get away with it.

PGATOUR.COM: What were your initial impressions of TPC Sawgrass when you first played it?

SCHEFFLER: I just thought it was really hard. I mean, you just have to hit it so good around this place to play well, and I think that's why you don't see the same winners every year is because it doesn't really suit one type of player. If you look at the golf course, No. 1 requires a fade (off the tee), No. 2’s a draw. Four is a fade, No. 5’s a fade, No. 7’s a draw. No. 9, you’ve got to hit a fade, then a draw; No. 10’s a draw, No. 12’s a draw, 13 is a draw. Then you get to No. 15, it’s a cut, 16 is a draw and 18 is a draw. It's very interesting how the course works like that, and so that's why … one guy just hasn’t figured this place out.

PGATOUR.COM: Your caddie, Ted Scott, recently appeared on the “Bible Caddie” podcast hosted by Webb Simpson and Ben Crane. He said that when you first started working together in late 2021, you told him that you were a bad ball striker. You’re coming off some record-setting ball-striking numbers in 2023, so what changed?

SCHEFFLER: I remember telling him, "I have to really think my way around the golf course." I was like, "I don't feel like I hit it as good as a lot of these guys, so I have to really think my way around."

PGATOUR.COM: Do you think that’s changed? The numbers would say it has.

SCHEFFLER: The numbers would definitely say it's changed. I definitely feel like the harder golf courses suit me where you have to hit it really well. I definitely do feel like I think my way around a golf course really well. I'd say that's one of my strengths.

I hit a lot of greens. Off the tee I might be pretty aggressive, but going into the greens, I may be more conservative. I really just try and play the shot that I'm most comfortable playing and just have a clear picture of what I'm trying to do. There may be one pin one day that you'd expect me to hit at, but if I'm really in between clubs and it doesn't look right then I won’t. And then if there's one day that there's a pin that's really tough, but I have the perfect number and I feel good, I might hit it right at it. So just kind of playing with what I've got.

I think I know when to take my opportunities. I have a good sense of when I should be taking a chance and when I should be maybe lay back a little bit.

PGATOUR.COM: Physically, what has improved about your ball striking?

SCHEFFLER: I think continuing to improve my body to make it move properly and then just refining the skill over time, like creating new shots. I feel like my distance control is probably what separates me the most from other guys. A lot of guys out here I think that can hit really straight, pretty much on command, but I think my distance control is something I practice. Distance control is kind where I extend myself a little bit and that's something that we've worked on a bunch.

PGATOUR.COM: You’re a big pickleball player and will play it even at tournaments. What’s the appeal for you?

SCHEFFLER: I just like competing at stuff, and so in order to get my mind off golf, I can't just sit around because I'm obviously going to start thinking about it, and so I have to put my mind on something else. And so recently it's been pickleball. I took it up, it's probably been about a year and a half now, and it was fun. I started playing with some of my buddies at home, and then I just got into it. I think it's fun for everybody because it's such an easy sport, and you can have guys that are at slightly different (skill) levels and still have a lot of fun. Since pickleball is pretty easy, you can get fun games going with a lot of different people.

PGATOUR.COM: Reading anything good these days?

SCHEFFLER: I started George Thomas’ book on golf course architecture (“Golf Architecture In America: Its Strategy and Construction”). I’m helping do a golf course in Texas. I love George Thomas. I think he’s awesome. Back then, they were just so practical. It’s so good.

PGATOUR.COM: Tell us about the golf course project.

SCHEFFLER: It’s called Pine Ranch. It’s still being developed. It’s a totally new course east of Dallas. Chet Williams is building it. He did the re-do of Royal Oaks. That’s how I got to know him. When he was coming over to Royal Oaks to come up with some ideas, he wanted to chat with me, and so we went around the golf course and he brought it up. I was like, "Yeah, sure, I'll think about it." And then Randy (Smith, Scheffler’s longtime coach) knew the guys who were setting it up. We went out and saw the property and we were like, "Wow, this is really cool." And then decided to get involved.

PGATOUR.COM: Is course architecture something you’d like to get more involved in?

SCHEFFLER: I think it's something that I would like to do more of in the future. I think it's really interesting. I really do like the (George Thomas) book.

PGATOUR.COM: Is Riviera (which was designed by Thomas) your favorite course on TOUR then?

SCHEFFLER: No. It's so frustrating to play. It might be my least favorite, but also my favorite. Teddy (Scott, Scheffler’s caddie) compared it to playing the slots. Eventually you're going to lose, but that one time you're going to get it, and things are going to light up and we're going to win. It's going to be awesome, but every other time you're going to lose.