It’s hard to argue Scottie Scheffler doesn’t have his eyes on the prize ahead of the BMW Invitational, as the world No. 1 tries to put the finishing touches on a dominant season.
Scheffler enters the second leg of the FedEx Cup playoffs with a commanding lead. In fact, he could skip the trip to Caves Valley Golf Club and meet everyone at the Tour Championship if he really wanted to.
However, the four-time major champion is in the 49-man field, looking to stay sharp and play for a major share of the $20 million purse in Maryland. And if he’s going to be there, he’s focused on winning the tournament.
Scottie Scheffler Swats Away Ryder Cup Questions
That much was evident in Scheffler’s pre-tournament press conference ahead of the first round. After a few questions about having a fill-in caddie this week for longtime looper Ted Scott, reporters started to ask Scheffler questions about the Ryder Cup, set for late September at Bethpage Black.
At first, Scheffler played along. He weighed in on Keegan Bradley’s captaincy. He opened up about how much influence players have when it comes to offering roster feedback. He acknowledged he’ll likely play the Napa tournament to stay sharp.
Then, a seemingly innocent question about what he expected from the crowd on Long Island, especially as it compared to the crazies in Rome for the 2023 Ryder Cup. Apparently, enough was enough at that point.
“I love answering questions about the Ryder Cup, but this is ridiculous,” an increasingly miffed Scheffler fired back at reporters. “We’re at the BMW Championship. The Ryder Cup is over a month away. If you want to talk about this week, let’s talk about this week. If not, I’ve got practice to do.
“I’m getting ready for a golf tournament.”
That did put an end to the Ryder Cup questions, and Scheffler fielded just one more inquiry before the press conference came to an end. And, to his credit, Scheffler offered a thoughtful answer on Caves Valley’s recent renovations.
BMW Championship Unique Challenge for Scheffler
It’s hard to blame Scheffler for his reaction. He’s been upfront about his mental approach to golf — and life in general, really — and it’s not a huge surprise that someone like Scheffler isn’t paying much mind to something a month away … even if it’s the Ryder Cup.
On top of that, this might be a uniquely challenging week for Scheffler. This is a golf course the Tour hasn’t played since 2021, and the aforementioned caddie switch looms. With Scott still away tending to a personal matter at home, Scheffler will have Michael Cromie on the bag for the BMW Championship. Cromie is the full-time bagman for Chris Kirk, who narrowly missed advancing to the BMW.
“Going into this week, it will be kind of more of a normal routine for me in terms of preparation over the shot and stuff like that,” Scheffler said. “Doing the numbers myself, it’s just a bit more work doing that over a four-day event, and that can take a toll on you. It’s nice for me to be able to walk up to the ball, see the shot that I can imagine hitting, and then when the numbers come, we start trying to really dial it in.”
Just no more questions about the Ryder Cup, please.
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