Scottie Scheffler burst onto the scene during the 2019-20 PGA Tour season, which was temporarily interrupted by the pandemic.
At the time, not many golfers or fans, inside or outside of the sport, knew of the talent Scheffler possessed. Tony Finau was one of them.
“When I first played with Scotty, I didn’t really know what he was like because he was a rookie on the PGA Tour and we played together at TPC Boston,” Finau said Tuesday at the Texas Children’s Houston Open. spoke in advance.
“We’re playing together, but after nine holes, I think he’s hitting seven under or something. I’m not really paying attention. I’m concentrating on my game in a way. When he gets to the 17th he makes another birdie. I look at the caddy and think this guy must be 8 or 9 under, but the caddy says how about 11? That’s what I thought.”
Scheffler broke down in tears during the second round of the 2020 Northern Trust, which was the first event of the FedEx Cup Playoffs held at TPC Boston.
He birdied eight of the first 11 holes, and in the process the rookie soared up the leaderboard.
Three more birdies followed on the 14th, 15th, and 16th holes, and by the time he reached the par-5 18th, Scheffler needed a birdie to reach golf’s perfect score, a glorious 59.
Unsurprisingly, Scheffler actually birdied the 18th and held 4 feet for a 59.
“I was playing with him and that was the first time I knew him. It was my first time playing with him,” Finau said.
“So, I kind of got it. I may not have heard of him for the first time, but I had a vague idea of who he was on the Korn Ferry Tour. I knew he was a good player. .Anyway, that was the first time I played with Scotty. He shot 59 at TPC Boston, so I knew from that moment he was special.”
Scheffler finished fourth that week, 13 strokes behind Dustin Johnson, who had an incredible 30 under par overall. But Scheffler qualified for the Tour Championship, an incredible feat for a PGA Tour player let alone a rookie.
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Since then, Scheffler has been named to the 2021 and 2023 Ryder Cup teams, won Augusta National in 2022 and climbed to No. 1 in the world rankings. He currently has eight wins on the PGA Tour, two of which have come in his last two starts.
“When he won the Masters, I played the first two rounds with him and then it was clear that he was going to hoist the green jacket on Friday,” Finau added.
His tee-to-green performance has been off the charts the past two seasons, leading many to compare him to Tiger Woods. Scheffler rarely makes mistakes and is hitting the fairways and greens faster than Woods since he won the Open Championship and PGA Championship in 2006.
But Scheffler’s charming personality and love for family are also contagious.
“I’ve played enough rounds with him to know what a great player he is, but I don’t think you can beat him as a person,” Finau said.
“I think he’s a really great addition to our game and it’s great to see him succeed.”
Jack Mirko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through.Be sure to check it out @_PlayingThrough Cover more golf. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko In the same way.
