Weekend Wrap - Nailbiter Edition

That was quite the dramatic finish at TPC Craig Ranch, eh?  

It's still zero dark thirty as I hunt and peck, but I'm already on the clock....  And the next few days aren't any better.  This will be a somewhat cursory post and, absent rain on Wednesday, any catch-up will have to wait until Thursday.

I caught a bit of the coronation, after that desultory Yankee game came to a merciful conclusion.  That minor hiccup at the end reminded me of Jordan Spieth finishing off his 2015 Masters win, where he needed to par the finisher to eclipse Tiger's scoring record, yet ended up settling for a par.

Shack has a post up with one of his all-encompassing summaries of statistical dominance:

In capturing his 14th Tour title, the 28-year-old Scheffler put on a statistical performance for the ages:

• 1st in Proximity (28’1”)

• 1st in Total Birdies (29)
  

• 1st in Par Breakers (44%)

• 1st in 3-Putt Avoidance (0)

• 1st in Putting Average (1.52)

• 1st in SG: Approach (+3.203)

• 1st in SG: Tee-to-Green (+4.243)

• 1st in Greens in Regulations (82%)

• 1st in Par 3 Scoring Average (2.69)

• 1st in Par 4 Scoring Average (3.73)

• 1st in Par 5 Scoring Average (3.83)

• 1st in Putting From 3-6 Feet (56/56)

• 1st in Strokes Gained: Approaching the Green (12.811) 😵‍💫

• 1st in Strokes Gained: Tee to Green (16.972)

So, how'd he do in the Miss Congeniality voting? 

That photo is about as golfy as anything you'll find, a six-year old Scottie with Lord Byron.  Though aren't you dying to see that six-year old's footwork?

What obviously added poignancy to the week was the winner's ties to the event, one that I'm a bit surprised and pleased to see has thus far survived:

Armed with a framed version of the photo, CBS’s Amanda Balionis attempted to tee up Scheffler

for something nice to say about that moment when he met a certified First Team all-time legend of the sport. It didn’t yield much.

“He's a great man,” Scheffler said while holding his son. “He was great for the game of golf. He was a great person, a family man, and I'm proud to be the champion at his event.”

After the round, he admitted his memory is not the best but gave a better answer.

“When I think about this tournament, I think about Mr. Nelson,” Scheffler said. “I think about what he did for the game of golf. He was a man of faith, and he was a great person as well off the golf course. He was a person that I've read a lot about. I've had the opportunity to meet him a few times when I was a kid, and I know a lot about him. He was a tremendous player and a tremendous person. So we look up to him in a variety of ways. I'm proud to be here supporting his tournament and his legacy.”

Scheffler also brought some much-needed emotion to what was otherwise a blowout win and a lackluster event.

“When I think about this tournament, I think about a lot of different stuff,” he said. “I grew up coming to watch it. This was my first start on the PGA Tour when I was in high school. The girl I was dating at the time is now my wife. We have one son. My sister was caddying for me at the time. She was here today. She has two kids.

Back in the Los Colinas days I thought this event couldn't possibly survive, not least because the kids wouldn't even know who Byron was.  What we see in that priceless photo above, though, is the last actual connection to Nelson, which only works because Scottie is a local boy.  Nelson was far greater and of far greater importance than is apparent from his playing records, his seemingly min\or haul of five majors, mostly because Byron only played until he had set aside enough money to buy that farm for Peggy and himself.  After that he retired early and dusted off his clubs 3-4 times a year, still a force, but a semi-retired force.   

You'll not be shocked to know that I hate the new name of the event, the CJ Cup Byron Nelson something-or-other, though I've evolved to begrudging acceptance.  Because the event would have died absent such a move, and at least a new generation of players might, who am I kidding, be sufficiently curious to investigate who Byron Nelson was.   Those that go to that effort will be rewarded, though we know how the current generation feels about dead white guys.

At this juncture I'm going to riff on this week's Tour Confidential panel, and then start hacking away at the pile of papers on my desk.  Though I haven't even looked at it, so we'll see how it goes:

Scottie Scheffler dominated the CJ Cup Bryson Nelson, closing with a third round of 63 or better to win by eight over Erik Van Rooyen. It was Scheffler’s first win in 2025, following his epic 2024 season of nine wins. So… what took so long?!

Josh Sens: First, a tragic ravioli-making incident that sidelined him for a spell. Then a run-in with the reality that winning is hard and often comes with the tiniest margins. Scheffler now has nine starts this year and this to show for it: a win, a runner up, five top 10s and not a single missed cut. What a slacker.

Sean Zak: Other people got in the way. Rory McIlroy, for one. Justin Thomas being another. Scheffler was probably 85% as good this year as he was last year — and that 15% is just enough to let one or two other guys have their best week. It’s just a numbers game, but the numbers he put up this week should scare the rest of the field, McIlroy included.

Josh Schrock: A little bit of rust and good play from Rory McIlroy, Justin Thomas and others kept Scheffler out of the winner’s circle. Before the Masters, Scheffler admitted that the ravioli injury set him back a little and that while he was pain-free, his hand still needed to be strengthened, which led to un-Scheffler-like ball-striking. It was only a matter of time.

Fair enough, though I couldn't have been the only one to wonder whether the hand injury was a long-term issue, though it only takes one week at -31 to dispel those concerns.  Given Rory and JT's track record at Quail Hollow, the forthcoming PGA Championship tees up to be pretty intriguing.  But if we assume that those three guys are hitting on all cylinders, I like that Scheffler guy.

The win is Scheffler’s first in nine starts this season; he had four in 10 starts at this point last year, on his way to seven. What side of the fence are you on: that this is the first step of another scorching Scheffler summer? Or is last year’s total too unrealistic to match?

Sens: I think we can fairly expect a scorching summer from Scheffler. But yeah, last year’s total was so outlandish, I don’t see him matching it, which doesn’t mean he might not also win Player of the Year for the third season in a row. Lots of golf left.

Zak: Yes, I think this pops the top off. I think he wins three more times this summer, at least one of those in a major. Last year’s total is too unrealistic to match, but who cares?

Schrock: Is he going to win six more times this year? Probably not. But I fully expect him to knock off a few more and win the first non-Masters major of his career. Put him down for Oakmont, a title defense at the Travelers and at least one playoff event.

I'm not as blown away by Scottie's 2024, because I fixate on those tiny field sizes.  Of all those wins, only the Players Championship had what I consider a full field, so there's that.  

But the whole in his resume is non-Augusta majors, so isn't that really the question for the remainder of 2025?  You'd think he'd pick off one or more, no?

Also victorious this week was Bryson DeChambeau, who won LIV Golf Korea for his first of the year. With the PGA Championship just two weeks away, who needed this first victory more, Bryson or Scottie?

Sens: Hard to say that either really “needed” a win. But I’d give the nod to Scheffler. He had some close calls and uncharacteristic stumbles — to the point where he showed some very outward signs of frustration, and even borderline snippy-ness in some of his exchanges with the press. For a guy as at peace with himself as Scheffler, I guess you could say that the dry spell had begun to eat at him a bit.

Zak: I think it’s Bryson. He had let wins slip a few times recently on LIV. And he kinda let the Masters slip, too. So starting the day with a lead and shutting the door was good to see. You can bet he thinks his best is still better than Scheffler’s.

Schrock: It’s definitely Bryson. He held the 36-hole lead in Miami and got run down by Marc Leishman. He scored well through three rounds at Augusta and somehow held an early Sunday lead before iron play nuked his chances to win. He held the 36-hole lead last week in Mexico but lost to Joaquin Niemann. If he had lost to Richard Bland or Charles Howell III, I think the confidence would have taken a hit heading into Quail Hollow. Scottie could have finished T10 this week, and my opinion of him wouldn’t have changed. Had Bryson blown a four-stroke lead in Korea, I’d be down on his chances in two weeks. As it stands, I think he’s the best [only?] chance at a person not named Scottie or Rory winning at Quail.

OK, silly bit... The wins were no doubt useful to both, but only needed in the sense that the same could be said for every guy out there.  I'm more focused on how well the PGA sets up.

They've got a couple more bits that I'll throw up just because it's so effortless:

Brandt Snedeker (USA) and Geoff Ogilvy (International) were announced as Presidents Cup captains for the September 2026 event at Medinah Country Club outside of Chicago. Like the picks? And why might Ogilvy be the guy to end the International squad’s drought?

Sens: Sure. Both likable players who have been around long enough to earn their peers’ respect

on and off the course. Could Ogilvy be the guy? Maybe. He’s got a great match-play record, including two wins at the WGC Championship. But ultimately, I think the influence of captains gets overstated in these events. The captains don’t hit shots or stroke putts. Pep talks and strategic pairings only go so far. In the end, it comes down to the players. And no matter how you shuffle things, the U.S. still has the stronger team.

Zak: I think we are seeing the result of Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson both not being available to captain right now. This era of teams was supposed to be led by them, and neither are anywhere near assuming that position. So, we get Keegan at the Ryder Cup — which his own play may negate — and a non-major-winner but overall “good guy” in Snedeker. Is that enough? Does it matter? I’m not sure it does. But something tells me Ogilvy will do a good job (in defeat) and then retain the position for the next Prez Cup, in his homeland, at Kingston Heath.

Schrock: I like the picks. I’m not sure how much they matter. If the U.S. is going to continue to trot out six of the top 10 players in the world every two years, the International side probably doesn’t have much of a chance. I don’t think Ogilvy leads them to victory in 2026, but perhaps in 2028 when they play in Australia.

All good stuff, but as we head into the heart of major season and eagerly anticipate Bethpage, I find myself without any bandwidth to contemplate the Prez Cup.

I guess I've allowed Prez Cup venue announcements to slip by, but Medinah?  That's what this struggling event needs, is for the 2026 iteration to include all those sepia-toned memories of....wait for it, the 2012 Ryder Cup.

There are only two words in all the above that mattered to me, and those were "Kingston Heath".  That's worth waiting for.....

World No. 4 Collin Morikawa has replaced long-time caddie J.J. Jakovac for Joe Greiner, who used to be with Max Homa and who recently won as a fill-in with Justin Thomas at the RBC Heritage. Morikawa has played well lately but is still winless since the fall of 2023. How much influence can a new caddie have? A little or a lot?

Sens: A lot, especially in the short run. Sometimes, it’s just the psychological shift that comes with making a change. I don’t mean to dehumanize the player-caddie relationship, but I think there’s an analogy to be made with the seeming magic of swapping out a putter and suddenly draining every putt you look at. You start feeling better, the confidence builds and a positive feedback loop kicks in. For the benefits to endure long term, though, there’s got to be more to the dynamic than just that sudden sugar rush.

Zak: A new caddie can have a ton of influence … in either direction. That’s why there are so few changes! Because bringing a new person into that walking, walking and gawking is a vibe-shift that players will notice. From the way Morikawa explained it, it sounds like that’s what he was seeking — a vibe-shift. Possibly during contention the most.

Schrock: The vibe-shift might help Morikawa get over the hump if he immediately puts himself back in contention. He hasn’t been playing bad, but when things feel off, it’s time to change things up. If getting Greiner on the bag helps give him a different Sunday feel when he’s in contention, then the move was worth it, but in the end it’s on Morikawa to execute the shots down the stretch when he’s under pressure.

No one really knows, which is why it's an interesting subject.  Though, for those that have listened to me rant about Harry Diamond all these years, I'm typically more amused by the caddies that inexplicably retain their jobs.

With my eye on the exit, I'll just leave you with this adorable father-daughter bit:

Daughter Poppy’s uncomfortable question during Masters week after attending the day care provided to player families: “So they did this kid’s photo one day, and they all got these Augusta National T-shirts. On the back of them was a list of all the past winners up until 2024. Poppy came up to me one day and said, ‘Dada, why is your name not on the back of the T-shirt?' When I won I came back and said ‘Poppy, my name is going to be on the back of the T-shirt.’”

Sweet, though one feels they were intentionally tweaking Rory....

That will have to suffice for today.  We'll meet again down the road....