Scotty Scheffler talks about why golfers keep playing a “frustrating” game

Scottie Scheffler pulled his right arm back, arched his back until it was just above the back of his right knee, and stepped his left leg forward. I threw it.

A good hand wedge.

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There may even be a move of 9.

But good banishment. Now his ball was rooted among the trees near the 11th green at Riviera Country Club. Two years ago at the Genesis Invitational, Scheffler had just hit a 5-foot birdie putt 4 feet beyond the hole.

But is the point here other than to wonder if golf’s top-ranked player could also have been the quarterback of his hometown Dallas Cowboys?

What do you mean?

If playing golf makes us so frustrated, why do we play it? Obviously, there are other pursuits as well. The payoff for throwing a ball at a tree sounds unpleasant. Scheffler said Wednesday that he doesn’t even have a good way to measure his ability.

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Then again, maybe it’s freedom to not be stuck in a box. Perhaps unfathomable is definitely a good thing.

At least Scheffler’s press conference ahead of this week’s Genesis Invitational was anything but ordinary. The session was reflective. Golf offers endless opportunities to learn, he says. And if you’re the type to learn like him – “my mind has always been my greatest tool,” he said – it’s as welcome as a sunny day at weekend tea time.

“I think that’s why we keep practicing,” Scheffler said. “You never get to a place where you feel like you have it figured out. I always like to practice and try to improve and create new shots.

“I think golf is like a never-ending pursuit of trying to figure something out, and I’ll never get there, but there’s no harm in trying.”

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Scheffler approached fellow pro and longtime friend Jordan Spieth for a round.

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“You talk about golf as a never-ending quest to understand the game,” Scheffler said.

“I play a lot of golf with Jordan at home. I learn so much just by watching the way he hits his shots and asking questions. And he does some things that don’t work for me that work very well for Jordan. And there’s also a certain way he approaches things. I like asking questions and trying to figure things out.”

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But what about defeat?

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This poetic description will make you want to read it again and again.

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“When it comes to playing in a golf tournament,” Scheffler said, “you can’t control what the people you’re playing with are doing. Let’s say I go into the final round tied for first and I shoot a 62 and they shoot a 61. Sure, you can see some shots you’d like to get back, but ultimately the tournament is over, you take your hat off, you shake their hands, you say congratulations.”

“The great thing about golf is that a lot of times you can come back the next week and start over and compete again.”

Over time, even friendships develop.

“It’s like you saw a guy like Colin (Morikawa) last week,” Scheffler said. “I’ve been playing against Colin since I was about 14 years old. He wins a tournament and announces he’s pregnant and all of a sudden this happens. It’s a really cool moment to see a guy who’s been playing really good golf the last couple of years, who hasn’t had a lot of results or wins, but who’s been pretty consistent golf, announce that he’s having a baby. That’s what this moment is about. I think it’s amazing. I competed as hard as I could and I lost, but it’s amazing that I won, congratulations.”

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“Your baby has been born. Congratulations! We’ll be here this week and preparations will begin again.”

Yes, the same thing applies to the moment you throw a ball into a tree.

Go to the next hole. On to the next tournament. Here’s where things get really good.

The 2024 Genesis was the last tournament Scheffler played with a bladed putter, which he used to hit the putt on No. 11.

Since then, he has gone on to win 14 events, including three majors.

“I think it’s healthy to have a certain amount of frustration when things don’t go as planned, because it takes a lot of effort to get out of this, especially when you feel like you’re doing the right thing, you’re doing it the right way, and you’re not getting results,” Scheffler said.

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“I think there’s always going to be frustration, but I think it’s part of the game of golf to be able to manage it to get the next shot.”

The post Why Golfers Keep Playing ‘Frustrating’ Games According to Scotty Scheffler appeared first on Golf.