Before the 2021-22 PGA Tour season began in earnest, I made several predictions about various key players. So far, at least one of those predictions has proven to be correct.
I said Scottie Scheffler (Titleist Pro V1) would win an event after some close finishes last season. Well, he has won two tournaments, including the Arnold Palmer Invitational last week, in his last three outings.
Scheffler has what I think is one of the most complete games of all the players on tour. He can hit the ball long off the tee, hit approach shots are solid and, perhaps, the best part of his game is his putting. In the Arnold Palmer, he scrambled as well as the player for whom the tournament is named.
He was particularly sharp blasting out of the merciless deep rough and handled the putting on slick greens that basically cost players several shots. Making par was considered a success.
One of the announcers working for the network broadcasting the tournament said he had seen Scheffler working on his putting the week before for one hour.
It shows.
Beyond just his game, there are two things I like about Scheffler: his calm demeanor and his consistency.
Some players show their emotions, whether it’s a good shot and, more notably, a bad shot. You see neither when Scheffler is playing.
The second thing is his consistency. For anyone betting on Scheffler, he has shown he can consistently make it into weekend play. In his last 59 tournaments, he’s made the cut 51 times.
When he won the WM Phoenix Open for his first PGA Tour win, he played the following week and tied for 7th in the Genesis Invitational. He took a week off and won the Arnold Palmer Invitational.
There are recent examples of players who recorded their first win and then fizzled playing the following week. Joaquin Niemann (Titleist Pro V1x) failed to make the cut in the Honda Classic the week after he won the Genesis Invitational. Sepp Straka (Srixon Z-Star Diamond) failed to make the cut in the Arnold Palmer after winning the Honda Classic the week before.
How do you harness emotion after such an important moment in your career? Well, Scheffler seems to have that worked out.
My good friend, Andy Bankuti, whom I have talked about in some of my blogs this year, provided some key insight when I asked him about two months ago to offer some predictions on the 2021-22 PGA Tour. Andy regularly bets on golf and does quite well.
Here’s what Andy said when I asked him to assess Scheffler’s chances this year.
“He’s going to be a force to be reckoned with,” Andy said. “He’s my dark horse. I think he’s going to perform really well. I think he’s going to go on a run. He’s the guy I’m going to ride. I think he’s going to be huge. I thought last season he was getting more aggressive. I think he’s going to be a top-10 guy on the PGA Tour – by far. If there was a bet to be in the top-five, I’d bet on that for sure. If there was a prop for who’s going to be on top, I might bet him for that.”
I don’t expect Scheffler to fall greatly off form, nor do I expect he will suddenly develop swagger. Right now, he has no swagger, but he can sure play.
I also wrote before the season that I thought Viktor Hovland (Titleist Pro V1) would win a major, perhaps as early as this season. He just might do that, but I believe Scheffler may do it before him.
MORE ON MICKELSON: Last week I did a follow-up blog on the one I wrote about Phil Mickelson (Callaway Chrome Soft X) the week before. I posted both to the Phil Mickelson Facebook Fan Club, of which I am a member. All of the content is vetted by administrators to make sure it is not foul or rude. I don’t think either of the blogs were. I’ve always admired Mickelson as a golfer. I think he’s done some amazing things in his career and has helped to promote the game. He is a personality, but sometimes he’s done some things that are controversial. I think his support for the whole Dubai Super Golf League represented poor judgement for someone who has benefitted so much from the PGA Tour. It is not bigger than any one player.
Last week’s blog generated 340 likes and 101 comments, both supporting what I wrote and arguing against it, the week before generated about one-tenth of that. I said he needed to apologize, and some people said he had already done that with a statement. That is true, and while he may have written it, he might also have had someone craft it.
When Mickelson returns to playing in the Tour, he will be asked to explain all of this. The golf world has shown tremendous support for him since the remarks he made about the Saudi’s inhumane treatment of people and why he felt joining the Super League was his one chance in life to make a huge financial score. Money makes people do strange things and it sometimes it backfires. In Mickelson’s case it led to sponsors cutting him adrift and people criticizing him. He became an open target.
I wrote last week that I thought he deserved a second chance, and nothing has changed. I just want to hear Mickelson talk about why he said what he did and what he has learned from it. I believe he will be contrite because it’s just the right thing to do for his overall well-being. Several people were hurt by his comments, and I don’t think he ever expected that. He will have had plenty of time to think about what he wants to say and I believe he will feel the love, support and warmth from the entire golf world. He has done too much for the game to be cast aside.
For all the mistakes Tiger Woods (Bridgestone Tour B XS) has made in his life and for which he has literally paid dearly, he is looked up now with respect. His past is his past and I believe the same will be true for Mickelson.
As the expression goes, that too shall pass.
