Scottie Scheffler 'feels very close' despite frustrating week at THE PLAYERS Championship
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Written by Paul Hodowanic
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – At times, Scottie Scheffler looked frustrated. His typically spectacular ball-striking was solid but not up to his lofty standards. His putter didn’t cooperate and a bevy of conditions at TPC Sawgrass illuminated his mistakes.
It led to a result not seen for two years: Scheffler failed to win THE PLAYERS Championship. Instead, he closed with a 1-over 73 on Sunday to finish T20. But as Scheffler walked off the 18th hole on Saturday evening, he felt encouraged more than disappointed.
“I feel very close,” Scheffler said.
It’s been an unremarkable start to 2025 for Scheffler, who made the remarkable look regular a year ago. He’s admitted it’s taken him longer to get back in the swing of things after a hand injury in late December delayed his season debut. He’s had strong results – three top 15s in five starts – but when you’re coming off a nine-win season, it leaves some to be desired. Scheffler is capable of better.
His week at TPC Sawgrass mirrored that. There was undoubtedly some good – most notably Scheffler’s driving stats, which continue to trend upward. There were also some areas to clean up. He lost strokes putting in three of four rounds.
Scottie Scheffler converts short birdie at THE PLAYERS
“I think it was definitely challenging with the winds and getting the ball close to the hole," Scheffler said. "Definitely started hitting some better shots. Starting to feel more comfortable with my irons. The last two weeks I feel like I've definitely driven the ball better. Definitely some positives from this week.”
Scheffler shook off questions about the visible frustration he showed on the course. It boiled over on Saturday, as his emotions danced between annoyed and angry as he traversed a gettable TPC Sawgrass. He slumped over after numerous missed putts and slammed his club against his bag after an errant approach on the seventh hole.
Wild winds plus tough conditions equal carnage on Saturday at THE PLAYERS
Scheffler chalked it up to his competitiveness.
“I'm a competitive guy, and I felt like I could have played a lot better this week,” Scheffler said, “Like I said, I'm really close. I maybe finished the week 4-under par. I felt like I played some better golf than that. Looking forward to fine-tuning things next week and then getting ready for Houston.”
It’s a place Scheffler knows well. He finished runner-up to Stephan Jaeger at last year’s Texas Children’s Houston Open. And it’s another chance for Scheffler to kickstart another historic season.
