The silver Wanamaker Trophy that Scottie Scheffler won by capturing the PGA Championship Sunday at Quail Hollow Club weighs 27 pounds, is more than 2 feet tall and has two curved handles to help hoist it.
Asked where he plans to put the famous trophy in his Dallas home, Scheffler suggested it won’t be the centerpiece of any display.
“I have a room in my house called ‘the Golf Room,’ and that’s where all my crap goes, literally. It’s just a room full of all my golf junk. I’ve got some trophies in there as well, and that’s probably where this one will go,” Scheffler said Sunday evening.
“I’d like to say that it’s nicely presented, but it’s not.”
Somehow, that isn’t a surprise.
Scheffler is many things but showy is not one of those. While it’s fair to assume he meant no disrespect toward his major championship hardware, Scheffler cares more about the grind and the achievement than the prizes that come with it.
In talking about his third major championship victory, one that reinforces his place atop the game, Scheffler spoke almost reverently about the process that has put him where he is.
“My favorite thing to do in golf is probably … when I can be by myself and I can just practice,” Scheffler said.
“It’s one of the most fun things for me. It’s so peaceful, and I love the pursuit of trying to figure something out. That’s what I love about this game.”
Smith has guided Scheffler since he was 7 years old, didn’t try to change his footwork and most of his work now is reinforcing what is already ingrained into the world’s top-ranked player.
Central to Scheffler’s success is his commitment to staying true to himself and the lessons he’s learned from his longtime coach, Randy Smith. Scheffler has not bounced from one teacher to another or chased the latest swing fads.
Smith has guided Scheffler since he was 7 years old, didn’t try to change his footwork and most of his work now is reinforcing what is already ingrained into the world’s top-ranked player.
It’s a familiar sight during tournament weeks – Scheffler hitting balls while Smith stands nearby, watching from every angle, keeping it surprisingly simple. As a long-standing PGA of America member, Smith choked up Sunday afternoon when asked what it meant to him for his prize pupil to win the PGA Championship.
“What do you think it means?” Smith said, his sunglasses hiding his brimming eyes.
Scheffler, of course, paid tribute to Smith as he always does.
“Especially when you’re as competitive as I am, when you’re younger and things aren’t going the way they’re supposed to, Randy always did a really good job of reminding me that it was a long journey to become good at golf. You’re going to have ups and downs. I kind of fought my body for a while there in college. Fought some growth spurts in high school,” Scheffler said.
“I wasn’t always the best player. I felt like I could be the best player. But I was a good junior player, a good amateur player, and I did a good job kind of rising up the ranks in professional golf. Randy was always by my side helping me stay patient and teaching me little things along the way.”
What Scheffler did the best at Quail Hollow was make the most of what he had in his golf game each day. He fought his swing the first two days and because he possesses an otherworldly short game, he kept himself in contention.
That’s Scheffler’s understated brilliance. His in-your-face brilliance was displayed Saturday afternoon when he played Quail Hollow’s five finishing holes in 5-under par, staking himself to a three-stroke lead entering the final round.
That lead evaporated over the first nine holes on Sunday but, with Jon Rahm leaning on him, Scheffler didn’t panic. He made a subtle adjustment in his setup and, until the 18th hole when he led by six, Scheffler didn’t miss a shot coming home.
“I felt like this was as hard as I battled for a tournament in my career,” Scheffler said.
“I’ve prepared my entire life to become somewhat decent at this game, and to have a chance to win a tournament that I dreamed about as a kid is a pretty cool feeling,” – Scottie Scheffler
The payoff is a third major championship, putting him halfway to the career Grand Slam. In that regard, it’s the same place Collin Morikawa and Xander Schauffele find themselves but given his dominance the past three years, the notion of Scheffler completing the career slam this year surfaced after his win at Quail Hollow.
That’s a giant ask but he will be the favorite at the U.S. Open at Oakmont next month, where the golf course will be a severe test. It will demand accuracy off the tee with rough that will make the tangle of thick stuff at Quail Hollow seem freshly mown, and its greens are famous for their speed and slope.
USGA officials love to talk about testing every aspect of a player’s game at the U.S. Open and Oakmont will do that. More than anything, it will test players’ patience, which plays to Scheffler’s strength.
“I’ve prepared my entire life to become somewhat decent at this game, and to have a chance to win a tournament that I dreamed about as a kid is a pretty cool feeling,” Scheffler said.
“When you step out on the first tee, it’s pretty dang cool. There’s definitely stress. It’s definitely challenging, but at the same time, I mean, it’s a lot of fun.”