Scheffler shanks his way to the bank
What Alex learned; Other than PC captains Furyk & Weir, it's a slow week; Stray Shots
Despite a shank, Scottie Scheffler finished the drill and won big (David J. Griffin/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
What did I learn last week? Let’s start with Scottie Scheffler.
Yes, he has had a great season — and I did use the word great.
Eight wins, including the Olympic gold medal, which the PGA Tour does not consider an official victory. How is it possible that a gold medal performance is not a victory on the PGA Tour?
Even Scheffler wonders why. But even with the gold medal only counting as a giant paperweight, the big burley University of Texas product has deposited $62,228,357 into his chosen bank.
That is serious coin in any sport.
Oddly, with the way things are structured in the finale at the Tour Championship, the player who was granted the win at the Tour Championship was Collin Morikawa, who received 47.63 Official World Golf Ranking points for finishing with the low 72-hole score (22-under) and moved from sixth to fourth in ranking. Scheffler, the world No. 1, officially finished third in the OWGR at 20-under, also a shot behind Sahith Theegala.
One last thing: Scheffler had a shank on the final round out of a bunker. I’m just saying. That means that no matter how good you are at golf, you can exhibit a brain freeze at any time.
My good friend John Huggan covered the Great Britain & Ireland Curtis Cup victory over Team USA at Sunningdale in England last week.
Huggan, who never minces words, had only praise for the women’s event that showcased the best amateur women from both sides of the Atlantic.
This relates to a familiar theme: why not have more match-play events?
If you get an old Scottish curmudgeon like Huggan to talk so positively about an event, you wonder if we are missing something by not showcasing more match-play events in golf.
Finally, why did the AIG Women’s British Open winner Lydia Ko only get 15 percent of the total purse instead of at least 18 percent — the traditional amount paid on the PGA Tour? The three hosted invitational signature events at Riviera, Bay Hill and Muirfield Village — pay the winner 20 percent.
Considering how hard it is to win on the PGA Tour, I’ve always contended that even 18 percent is not enough.
Winning is difficult, no matter which tour and the winner's amount should be at least 25 percent of the total purse (which is how much Scheffler collected from the FedEx Cup bonus pot), but surely not 15 percent.
Scottie Scheffler’s season was good as gold, and more valuable (Ben Jared/PGA Tour/IGF)
Labor Day leads to slow golf work week
Monday was Labor Day and pretty much the whole golf world has taken the week off from working — except Presidents Cup captains Jim Furyk and Mike Weir who’ll be announcing their captain’s picks Tuesday.
The Daily Drive will likewise be limited in its efforts this week (aside from that Presidents Cup news).
Meanwhile, here is another Birdies & Bogeys wrapping up the PGA Tour’s “Season of Scheffler” from Scott Michaux at Global Golf Post:
The first player since Tiger Woods in 2007 to win seven PGA Tour events in a season, Scheffler didn’t do anything small. He won a major (Masters), near-major (Players), gold medal (Olympics), four signature events (Arnold Palmer Invitational, RBC Heritage, Memorial Tournament and Travelers Championship) and a season-long race (Tour Championship). His wife (Meredith) had their first baby (Bennett), and he even fought the law (Louisville) – and the law lost, of course.
Scheffler was such a dominant player that PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan felt compelled to say last week: “Amazingly, Scottie isn’t the only story.”
Among the other stories are: major, rookie, amateur, comeback and crossover player-of-the-year awards; birdies for guys like B-Mac and the DPWT 10; and a slew of bogeys for everything from the transaction committee, Tiger Woods, ratings, PGA Tour gobbledygook and summer golf in the South. Check it out and hope you enjoyed the long holiday weekend.