World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler will be playing his fifth Masters Tournament this week. He won the green jacket in 2022 and is a strong favorite to win this year’s tournament.
This is the first major championship of the year, and Scheffler already has two wins in 2024. He won back-to-back titles at the Arnold Palmer Invitational and The Players Championship.
Ahead of the Masters, the former Texas Longhorn was asked about his approach to the first tee at Augusta National. His answer is sure to inspire Sunday golfers.
“I just tell myself, I finished the job. I did everything I could,” Scheffler said. “I checked all the boxes. And I did everything to be able to go out here and play well. So I know I did what I needed to do in preparation, so I’m free to compete. can.”
Photo by: Warren Little/Getty Images
If a player has put in the time, there should be confidence that comes with it. Scheffler brings that mindset to the tournament.
“I’m just trying to soak up the competition. Go out, have fun, focus on my shot. And I’m mainly focused on my mental attitude,” he said. Told. “I’m not looking at the results. I’m just trying to focus on my process as much as possible.”
It’s an element of the game that everyday players struggle with. They don’t commit, they guess, and they don’t prepare properly. However, most players play the same courses over and over again.
The 27-year-old has eight career wins on the PGA Tour, but he wanted to remind golfers that he’s still human.
The anxiety of the first tee shot is inherent in every player, and it doesn’t seem to go away even with success.
“There’s definitely a sense of excitement and anxiety,” Scheffler said. “When you’re competing, all those things go through your head. It’s just how you use those feelings and emotions to improve your concentration, and that’s pretty much it.”
Scheffler is not an intense type of player on the golf course. His competitiveness comes through in other ways. He is humble and a student of the game. The two-time Players champion appears to be able to compete without losing his individuality.
Providing this type of insight to the average golfer who doesn’t compete every week can still be beneficial. Even if it’s just a round of golf for fun, it’s good to compartmentalize and have a process.
Scheffler summed it up beautifully while preparing for the 88th Masters Tournament.
Scheffler will play alongside Rory McIlroy and Xander Schauffele in the first two rounds of the Masters. Tee-off will take place Thursday at 10:42 a.m. ET and Friday at 1:48 p.m. ET.
Savannah Lee Richardson is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through.If you want to know more about golf, please follow us. @_PlayingThrough On all major social platforms. You can also follow her on Twitter @SportsGirls and Instagram @savannah_leigh_sports.
