Join us on the fairway as we unpack the excitement from the Arnold Palmer Invitational and celebrate Scottie Scheffler's victory that's got the world of golf buzzing! With putter in hand, Scheffler's game has hit new heights, and I'm here to share how his steady hand is shaking up the leaderboard. Plus, Shane Lowry spills on the consistency that makes Scheffler a force to be reckoned with and opens up about his own iron play finesse as he eyes the challenges at Sawgrass. We're tapping into the heart of the PGA Tour, where family and community spirit are par for the course, bringing you those touching moments that resonate off the green.
Join us on the fairway as we unpack the excitement from the Arnold Palmer Invitational and celebrate Scottie Scheffler's victory that's got the world of golf buzzing! With putter in hand, Scheffler's game has hit new heights, and I'm here to share how his steady hand is shaking up the leaderboard. Plus, Shane Lowry spills on the consistency that makes Scheffler a force to be reckoned with and opens up about his own iron play finesse as he eyes the challenges at Sawgrass. We're tapping into the heart of the PGA Tour, where family and community spirit are par for the course, bringing you those touching moments that resonate off the green.
This is PGA Tour Countdown, and welcome in everyone, Frank Bassett, joining you for PGA Tour Countdown. This is the Countdown wrap for the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard. And guess what? That Shuffler guy. Wow, what a performance by Scotty Shuffler. He ran away with it on Sunday and posted a great score. What an incredible performance.
Speaker 1:Everyone has said if he gets his putting going, when he gets his putting going, when he gets that under control, he will be unbeatable.
Speaker 1:And if he continues on this pace he will repeat at the players championship Hadn't happened. We'll see what's going to happen this week on PGA Tour Countdown's pre-PGA Tour PGA Tour Countdown players championship. But we want to get to the interviews because Shane Lowry jumped on the microphone and if you saw any of the tournament you saw Shane Lowry talking to Scotty's family afterwards and he said your husband's playing some great golf, unfortunately for all the rest of us. So very interesting and very heartwarming to see Scotty and his family there and everybody in tears, and just what a good family, what a good person he is and his wife and the kids. And that's what it's all about on the PGA Tour and that's what we like about the PGA Tour and every tour that has family. So, anyway, let's just get to it and I'll quit the rambling and let's listen to some of the players after their final round on this special edition of PGA Tour Countdown Wrap.
Speaker 2:What are just overall thoughts in the week.
Speaker 3:Another great week off the tee. I feel like I found a good feeling with the putting as well. I putted well the last three days. Just the iron plays let me down. It's sort of been the same story the last few weeks Sort of struggling with the left miss with the irons. It's hard because the longer clubs the woods feel so good and then the irons don't really feel that good. So I feel like I'm having to put like two different swings on the woods and the irons at the minute, which is a struggle, but everything else feels pretty good. So if I can get the irons tightened up, I feel like I'll be in a good spot.
Speaker 4:Rod, do you feel like what Scotty's doing is maybe a little underappreciated because of the state of golf right now and maybe the competition? Because if you look back to the waste management a couple years ago, he's been really really good and really really consistent.
Speaker 3:He's been super consistent. I think being as consistent as Scotty has been is really, really difficult in this game. Anyone can pop up and win an event here or there or get on a good run, but the consistent performances that Scotty's been putting in week in, week out, every time he tees it up, it is incredible. And then what he's doing this week I mean this is a super tough golf course. You know I'm going to be six under today, going out with the lead and just sort of lapping the field. It's super impressive. But we all knew that he had this in him. You know his ball striking is honestly on another level compared to everyone else right now and you know we knew if he started to hold putts then this sort of stuff would happen.
Speaker 4:You've been part of that sort of sensation. Do you think that, because of what's going on in the world of golf, this excellence has been maybe underappreciated?
Speaker 3:There's definitely been other stories out there that maybe don't give this. You know the play yeah, that's a bit, you know, like I think all of what's gone on in golf has. You know the play on the golf course has sort of taken a backseat to everything else, which is a shame. So yeah, I mean, you know, I'd say if we were in a different place in the world of golf, scotty's golf would probably be getting a lot more plotted some previous yeah.
Speaker 5:Our last question.
Speaker 6:You know what it's like to have success at Sawgrass.
Speaker 2:What challenges does that golf course and that championship propose to you?
Speaker 3:Yeah. So I mean I'm going to Sawgrass next week like super comfortable with how I'm hitting it off the tee. You know it's like if you can get the ball in play there, then I think that's you know that's half the bottle. But then you've got very, very small, demanding greens that you got to hit it on the right levels and you have to. You know you have to be pretty precise with your approach play as well. So, yeah, I mean I guess for me in my head at the minute it's all about the approach play, because that's the thing that I'm struggling with. But if I can you know I've got three days here to try to figure it out and get some good work in you know, if again, I think I'll probably leave the field and stroke skinned off the tee this week for the third week in a row. So I just need the other, I just need the. You know, once I do that, then the next part is the key for me. Thank you.
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Speaker 7:There's probably only a couple players in the world that could live with him playing like that. So I'm not sure I wanted him. But you know, I fell a thousand. I was obviously just disappointed. I didn't put any pressure on him early. You know, I get off the bad start, he get off the good start, and then I was a few shots behind all that, and I'm sure Wyndham feels the same. But yeah, he shot to that way he's world number one.
Speaker 4:You recovered really well, though you must be really proud of the way you came back and finished.
Speaker 7:Yeah, you know, because I was a little bit shaken after those early bogeys. I had a great shot in a second and you know, probably just half a club out. But yeah, it's this type of course. It gives you nothing and I was close to being a lot better this week. But you know, another top five, some well-needed FedExCup points and, you know, on to Sawgrass next week.
Speaker 2:Shane having the front row seat to Scottie today. It doesn't compare to any one or certain round that you've played in in the past, just in terms of the impressiveness and maybe the dominance.
Speaker 7:Yeah, look, I think he obviously played very well, but when he hit the bad shots he got them up and down and that was key. He didn't hold the right puts at the right time. You know a couple of things change and you just never know. Like, down this stretch here you put somebody, no matter who they are, no matter how good they are, under pressure. You never know what could happen. And I don't think he got that.
Speaker 7:I'm not saying that he wouldn't have won, but you know I just didn't get a chance to. You know I kept missing fairways and then you know leaving 30 feet for Birdie, you know you run it, you have four or five feet back and these grains of difficult. So it's, you know it's. It's tough for me to talk about and think about it right now because I'm just in off the course and I was so focused on my own game and try and have the best week I could. But you know I'd sit down and reflect on over the next couple of days and you know all in all has been great week.
Speaker 5:Just the razor thin margins out there. I mean you the razor thin margins you experienced. I mean two, you mentioned six. Really nice sign you're in that thick stuff. What is that kind of do to a person as the, as the round goes, the mental challenge?
Speaker 7:That's what this course is like. It does it to you and I, you know, I'm used to playing major championships and I'm used to playing tough golf courses and you have to roll with the punches and and I play these types of courses as well. Obviously, my record is not great here, but I play tough golf course as well and you know, yeah, you just have to roll with the punches and keep going and keep fighting as hard as you can and you'll see where it leaves you at the end of the day. For me, today was third place. Hopefully next week I go.
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Speaker 8:Okay, we'd like to welcome Scotty Schaeffler into the interview room. Our 2024 Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard. Champion Scotty, one thing better than winning this tournament is winning it twice. Congratulations on picking up your seventh PJ Tour victory.
Speaker 9:if we can get some comments on outstanding play this week, yeah, yeah, I don't really know exactly what to say, but you know, I'm thankful for this week. I'm thankful for for how we performed out there and yeah it was, it was a good week. It can take away a lot of positives from, from this tournament and yeah, and your thoughts on winning Mr Palmer's tournament once again.
Speaker 9:Yeah, it's really special. You know, mr Palmer meant a lot to me, meant a lot to us as professional golfers and the game of golf, and so it's very, it's very special to be able to sit here and, you know, wear his red sweater again and, yeah, I'm very proud to be the champion of his tournament.
Speaker 8:Okay, we'll get started with questions. Let's go to Doug here.
Speaker 10:Congratulations second win in four months.
Speaker 9:Sorry, is this?
Speaker 10:accounting event. Doug, there's gonna be a lot of focus on some just terrific putting over the weekend, but I'm curious, how much of it do you would you attribute to to the actual club and how much to kind of between the air some of the stuff you're talking about of kind of quieting your?
Speaker 9:yeah, I mean, I think it's. You know it has a lot to do with the stuff we talked about on Monday keeping the mind as quiet as possible, and you know part of the problem is just trying too hard, you know it's. It's frustrating to not not be, you know, not have the best of myself, just because I know that I can putt really well. It's not like, you know, I've been a bad putter my whole career, just got through a stretch where it's been tough and, yeah, I think this week I did a really good job of not letting the misses get to me. You know, teddy did a really good job of keeping me in a good headspace and you know we stayed positive out there and I hit, hit a lot of good putts, a lot of good putts this week.
Speaker 8:Alright, let's go to the left over here with Dave.
Speaker 11:Scotty, congratulations. When you won that other event four months ago, you said you said that you didn't really, you know, tie up your identity in in wins, or I think it was, or what you shoot. Basically, how would you? I guess what would? What would be your identity after today? Is this how you define yourself, just simply by performing the way you expect to.
Speaker 9:Yeah, I mean I try not to place too much of my identity and what I do out here on the golf course. You know there's there's a whole other part of my life that that is not in front of you guys, that that, I think, is what's most important to me. And so, yeah, I, like I said, my life's not a golf score, it's not how many trophies I'm gonna win, it's not, it's not anything like that. You know I'm I'm proud to have a great wife and a great family and you know we have great friends at home and I'm very, very grateful for the the other part of my life that's, that's away from the golf course.
Speaker 11:But you play golf or a living. What's your identity as a golfer? You?
Speaker 9:tell me Well. I want to know what do you think? Well, you know, I'd like to be remembered as a competitor. I'd like to be remembered as someone that that always gave it his best and you know, and just kept a good attitude, and I feel like that's that's my goals. Always going into an event is being tough, being competitive and going out and competing, having a good attitude, being committed to my shots.
Speaker 8:Thank you. Alright, let's go to Sean right here.
Speaker 2:Where does this rank in your victories among overall, all-around performance? And this week, what was most gratifying?
Speaker 9:Yeah, I think this one's pretty special. You know, like, like some of y'all have mentioned, it had been a while since I won. You know I did win in the Bahamas, but as far as the PGA Tour event had been almost a year and so there'd been, you know, a lot of chatter about about my game and the state of where it was at, and so it was nice to kind of come in here with a good, a good mental attitude and to perform well under pressure. And, you know, I think I think today's round was was really special for me going forward.
Speaker 8:Alright, let's go to Ron and then Brentley.
Speaker 10:Congrats again. How much as this narrative is sort of played out, has it tested your patients, whether the narrative or the results, and are you typically a patient person?
Speaker 9:You know I try to be as patient as possible. I think you know that's probably a tough thing to kind of figure out but yeah, like I said, I try to be as patient as possible. You know I think it can be tough out here. This, this game, can humble you really fast and so I'm trying to be more grateful for the success and, you know, more grateful for these wins. You know, sometimes I I have a habit of winning an event and, just you know, immediately trying to move on to the next week. And so, you know, going in tonight, you know I'll try and celebrate and enjoy this win with, with my family and, yeah, it'll be fun.
Speaker 8:Alright Brentley.
Speaker 2:Scotty, I think when you win by five shots, there's probably more than one shot that sticks out, but is there a particularly shot that sticks out in your mind from from this final?
Speaker 9:round? Not really I. I just think it's another golf course here in Florida where it's really uncomfortable down the stretch. I just don't ever really feel like you have it won until you basically get it to 18 green. I'd say if there's a shot that stood out the most it'd probably be momentum-wise my my up and down there on 13. I think that was really important at that stage in the round. You know I hadn't made a bogey yet and it would be, you know, silly me to give one up on that hole that was playing downwind. Today it was. You know, typically it's a very difficult hole, but today, being downwind, I'm sure the scores were fairly low and so would have been a frustrating hold to give up a shot. That was good for momentum and good two put on 14 and I made the long put there on 15.
Speaker 8:All right over here, Adam.
Speaker 12:Scotty, a lot was made this week about Rory having a putting lesson from Brad Fax and after struggling on Thursday's first round, I'm curious what did you find after Thursday's first round when you went to the putting green?
Speaker 9:Thursday, I think, was a really important day for me. I got off to a horrible start with the putter. I hit a really bad putt to start the day and I missed a couple other makeable ones on the first few holes. When I got to the practice range after, the discussion was not what are we going to fix, it was how well that I did. And that all goes back to the process that we're working on and it's not results based. We got done with Thursday's round and Teddy and I kind of looked at each other and it was like you know, I felt like we did pretty good today and so that was the discussion and we continued to work on the things that we're working on. And yeah, it wasn't like we were searching for anything out there. It was more just kind of reflection of where I was mentally at the time and I thought we did a good job.
Speaker 12:Do you feel like you found the putter you'll be using for a while?
Speaker 9:I mean hopefully. Yeah, I think I like not having to line the ball up. I line this putter up well in the middle of the face. It's very good visually and yeah, I mean I try not to focus too much on the results, but my process is really good this week and the results so far are pretty tough to argue with, I'd say.
Speaker 8:All right, let's go to Marcus and then Rex.
Speaker 4:Scotty Rory was very complimentary in talking about your consistency Is maybe that your identity, that you're, you know, made a lot of cuts in a row, tons of top tens, since you know you won the waste management a couple years ago. Is that maybe the takeaway for you?
Speaker 9:Yeah, I try to be as consistent as possible out here and it's a difficult thing doing that week to week out here on tour. The golf courses are really tough, the competition is really tough and you know I try to be as consistent as possible and bring the right attitude each week, and so I'm definitely proud of the results over the last couple years, how consistent I've been, and you know it's nice to get a win this week.
Speaker 8:All right, let's go to Rex.
Speaker 6:Scotty, you talk about not trying to be perfect on the greens this week and clearly that worked out well for you. In the past, or over the course of the last year, have you found yourself trying to be perfect on the greens and that's what's led to the aggravation or the frustration? Well, I just think that how?
Speaker 9:it works. You know, across the game, or you know across all aspects of the game. If you're trying to play perfect golf, it doesn't really work. You know there's no such thing.
Speaker 9:I think sometimes the perception from people on the outside, you know golf looks really easy when you watch it on TV. I mean it really does, it does not look that hard. But then when you go out here and compete and play on the PJ tour, it's pretty dang difficult. And so I try to take that approach to all aspects of my game. And sometimes when things aren't going right, you try to be perfect and at times in the last year or so, you know it's definitely been frustrating knowing that I can hole putts and win tournaments and not being able to do it.
Speaker 9:You know at the clip that I'd like to, and so going into today you know that was really one of the positives I took from the first round was, you know I had a good attitude, I held my lines well, and it's just a matter of continuing to stick to what we're doing and just wait for the results to come and not force them.
Speaker 9:You know, putting such a difficult thing because you can't force it Like you can, I can hit a really good nine iron from the middle of the fairway and every now and then I'll get gusted and it won't turn out well, but worst case it's not going to be very far from the hole but putting I can hit a really good putt from 15 feet and if it lifts out, it's the same thing as me just hitting a terrible putt a foot short and then tapping it in. So it's a tough thing to quantify when you're just looking at the results, and so that's why I try to focus more on my process and what I'm doing over the ball versus any sort of, you know, results based thinking.
Speaker 8:All right, let's go to Doug.
Speaker 10:A couple of things During this process over the last six months of working on your putting. Did any of your regular routine work long game, not suffer, but did you take time away from that to devote into putting?
Speaker 9:Well, I tried not to. I've always approached the off season in a way in which I always have one point of emphasis, and some years it's been my diet, some years it's been working the gym. This last year it was my putting, and so I don't feel like I tried to let any of the other parts of my game suffer. You know, I think that can also be the tough thing about when you think so much about improving at one thing. I think sometimes it just dominates your brain, and so it's almost just as important to just put in the work and be done with it and then go home and think about things other than golf. If I'm thinking about my putting 24‑7, there's going to be a lot of anticipation going into that first put on Thursday, whenever it is, and it's probably not going to go that well, and so a lot of us just putting in the quality work and then being done with it.
Speaker 10:And then secondly, I'm sorry this is kind of silly, but someone asked me about the beard this week. I didn't have an answer. Did you just like grow that on Tuesday? Was that a sputting thing? Or you're not going to shave until the baby is born? What's the deal?
Speaker 9:I get lazy it's pretty much it. And I got lazy in the two weeks that we had off and it started growing out. And then one day I don't remember why I wanted to be presentable for something I don't even remember what it was but I just grabbed a razor and shaved my neck and then I was like it's kind of nice not having to shave each day and really just more of a laziness thing than anything. But now it's getting to the point where it's probably getting a little bit longer and it's grown in weird directions, so I'm probably going to have to shave it now and then grow it out again. Really, it was just pure laziness.
Speaker 8:All right, let's go to the back, right, jeff.
Speaker 13:Scotty, you described earlier that Bay Hill is one of those courses that's designed to make you uncomfortable, especially down the back nine. You look at the scores and what everybody else did and you went bogey-free. How uncomfortable really were you today.
Speaker 9:You know, at times the golf course can make you uncomfortable, but going bogey-free out here is really a feat. I feel like it's not easy to go bogey-free around this place. I had some really good up and downs and I'm especially proud of how I finished off the round, making a great par there on 13. Good two put on 14. Played 15 the right way and really good par there on 17, 18 as well.
Speaker 8:All right, far right over here, george, and then back up the dug.
Speaker 10:As well as you played. Are you surprised to see your closest pursuers shoot the way they did today? Even par minus two was the best that anyone could muster a top-believer board.
Speaker 9:Yeah, it's just around this golf course. It gets so much harder as the day goes on just because the greens get firmer, they get crustier, they get harder to putt, it's harder to hit your shots closer to the hole. I mean, if you looked at the scoring average over the years between the afternoon waves and the morning waves, especially when you get to Friday, saturday, sunday, it's probably a pretty significant difference, especially on Friday, just because everybody in the field is kind of playing. Even, you know, saturday and Sunday it may not be as big of a difference because the guys at the bottom of the leaderboard aren't playing as well as the guys at the top. But the golf course is significantly more difficult here in the afternoon than it is in the morning.
Speaker 8:All right, a few more. Let's go back to Doug.
Speaker 10:If you were asked what's the worst tournament you've played in the last year, would you have any idea?
Speaker 9:Not off the top of my head, and I think that's a good thing. If you give me a few seconds, I could probably think of one, but yeah, it's nice.
Speaker 10:Time's up.
Speaker 9:Yeah, blank and under the pressure.
Speaker 10:The other thing, Scotty, what exactly do you have planned from here to Augusta? What kind of schedule do you look at and when will you go up to Augusta?
Speaker 9:So I've never really been one of the guys that goes up to Augusta throughout the year, probably. Just from a time perspective. I like to take advantage of the time we have at home and I hadn't really made any plans to go up to Augusta before the tournament. I'll play next week at the players, have a week off, play Houston and then another week off and then we'll head up there on Sunday. So normal prep. I've played the week before the Masters once and that was enough. I don't think that playing the week before that tournament was good for me. I went in a little bit tired and you got to have your legs to play that golf course and so taking the week off before and showing up ready to go, Right here in the middle.
Speaker 11:Mike Scotty, congratulations. You have sort of a low‑key personality. I'm just wondering you've been number one in the world for what? 10 or 11 months now? Are you comfortable being sort of the face of golf?
Speaker 9:Yeah, I don't really look at the world rankings very often but, with that being said, it's nice to be number one. I'd much rather be number one than number two, but it's something that I don't try to focus on. It's not something I place my identity in For me as a golfer, I just try to put the work in. Just because you make it to the top, the work almost gets more difficult to stay there. It's a challenging thing and everybody, I guess now is kind of looking up at me at the top of the rankings and trying to take me down. So in order to stay up there, you got to put in a lot of work.
Speaker 8:All right Rex.
Speaker 6:Scotty, I know you said earlier in the round is when you kind of got close enough, the closest to a bogey, but I would be curious on 17,. It maybe didn't matter at that point with your lead, but the lie looked really bad. What were you trying to do there?
Speaker 9:Just trying to make sure I got out of the bunker. First and foremost it was a really bad lie. I know it plugged in the lip, but fortunately it was on the upslip so I had a good chance to get out. Basically, those shots you're kind of just blindly swinging at it, making sure you get the club under the ball. That was nice to see it kind of pop out and trickle up there towards the flag. But more than anything I was just trying to make sure I got that ball in the green.
Speaker 8:All right, we'll wrap up with Doug.
Speaker 10:Curious. Did Shane say anything to you on the 18th green other than the standard good playing?
Speaker 9:After I hit my approach shot in there, he just turned around and said that was a heck of a round of golf, and then he kind of let me have my space as we walked up there. And then on 18 green, shane's a great competitor and a great player as well and he's had his fair share of wins and so he's always very gracious and he congratulated me and then he gave me some crap because it took a little while to get into scoring but you got to do interviews and all that stuff. But yeah, it was fun. I enjoyed going around the golf course of them today.
Speaker 8:All right, Scotty Sheffler. Congratulations once again, Thanks.
Speaker 1:So there you have it. You've heard the interviews and now we're rolling into the players championship week my second favorite, first favorite, I don't know probably second favorite week of the year because we will be at the Masters, as always from the Azalea house, azaleahospitalitycom. Go check them out and we'll have some very special guests joining us there at the Azalea house. So hope you enjoyed the interviews and we will get out of here and let you have a great week getting ready for the players championship. I'm Frank Bassett, saying thanks to each and every one of the people who make this happen for us at the Golf Talk America Network and to all of you out there. Thank you so much for listening.