I think a mix of emotions from — yeah, proud, relieved, happy. There’s a ton of emotions that I’ll probably be feeling. It doesn’t sink in for a while. Winning doesn’t sink in for a while. But what an amazing day.

Q. You had a lot of time on that back nine to walk between the holes and walk between the shots. Walk us through what you’re thinking in your mind as you’re walking there, particularly walking up to 15.

I felt like I’d lost my swing really. I got a bit erratic from the 5th. I felt like I started the round off really well, really solid, did all the right things.

Then I hit two really poor mini-drivers, 5 and 8, but I felt like I’d lost my swing a little bit, lost my timing, lost my transition, hit a big hook off the 10th, and all my focus kind of went into my rehearsals, changed my rehearsals a little bit, changed my tempo, tried to find my transition a bit. All my focus kind of went into that.

You’re always kind of aware, no matter how present you try and stay, you’re always kind of aware of the ebbs and flows of how it’s going.

The one thing I’ve done so well in the last few weeks when I’ve had the near misses is I’ve done really well in a tournament up until the closing few holes and then you have to walk to the 15th tee and stand up on that.

I said before, I really dislike the 15th shot. The angle of it doesn’t fit my eye very well. It’s a very, very tough shot. I was really pleased with the swing that I put on that.

I was just really focused on sort of where my swing was at and trying to feel like I was doing the right things, as well as managing everything else, whether it be your expectations, whether it be the doubt that’s creeping in after the last few times that it’s not gone my way, and also dealing with the sort of reality of it felt like it was — the door was getting further and further open for me as the round went on, and sort of trying to stay level-headed about it.

Q. You’ve talked about learning throughout the entire process. What did you learn about yourself through all the near misses, especially the last few weeks keep coming back?

I think it’s easy for anybody to say that they are resilient, that they bounce back, that they have fight. It’s different when you actually have to prove it.

There’s different types of mental strength. I’ve clearly got things wrong in the dire moments of tournaments, and I might have made the odd dodgy decision, might have put a bad swing on it.

But I’ve had to have mental strength in a different way. I’ve had to be resilient in terms of putting myself back up there, getting myself back in that position, no matter how many times it doesn’t go my way, no matter how many doubts might creep in.

Think the right things, say the right things to yourself, say the right things outwardly, and I am really pleased that I can be proof that if you do all the right things and you just keep going that it can happen.

Q. Now that it doesn’t matter, was there a time during the near misses where you thought, this might never happen? Did those moments exist?

Not really. The smallest thoughts creep in. But I — no, I never really felt like it wouldn’t happen. But there’s always doubt there.

But I always sort of had belief in myself that you keep knocking on the door, you keep putting yourself up there, you keep playing well, keep learning from all the near misses and keep putting that into action in the next tournament or the next tournament or the next time you get a chance, see what is going to happen.

The people that win the most — I always feel like if you look at what the best players do and try and copy it — whether you’re as good as them or not is a different story, but if you watch what they do and you copy them as much as possible, I think that’s a good way to go.

I think that the guys that win the most, they’re in contention so much; they’re up there all the time. That’s where I want to be.

I want to be up there. It’s taken me a while to get this done, like to get this first win. I’ve never looked at it as just trying to win once.

I’ve always had the mindset that I want to win multiple. I want to win plenty. It’s just that the first one seems to have taken a long time. The next one might take a long time; I don’t know.

But I’ve always had the mindset that I just want to be one of the best players in the world, I want to keep putting myself in contention, and yeah, I always felt like it would probably happen.

Q. What do you think the broader lesson is for sports people who are trying so hard to get over a line and can’t do it? You’ll be an inspiration to them.

I think people have different ways of inspiring, and I guess that my — however big or small my inspiring story might be, it was just a story of perseverance and continuing to try and put myself in those positions.

I think the easiest thing to do when it doesn’t go your way is to sulk a little bit or to let it affect you for a little while, then get back to it.

Use excuses if you like, but I said every single time that it didn’t happen for me or where I’d let one go or where someone beat me, I just want to get there again. I just want to give myself another chance.

I felt like I did that, and I felt like people — at the time, like, you just do it, but I think people have appreciated that side of it.

I think people have, I guess, found it very positive that I’ve constantly tried to just get back on the horse, just go again, just go again.

Like I say, again, it’s almost easy to say now I’m really pleased that it’s happened now, but if it didn’t happen today, I would have said the same things.

I would have said, I just want another chance; I’m just going to go back and work and I’m just going to go again. I’ve had the opportunity to prove that, that if you just keep going, it can happen. I guess that’s my story.

Q. You talk about wanting to be the best player in the world or one of the best players. Did you always feel like you had to win in America to start that process or move that along to what you wanted?

Yes and no. I think it was definitely — it’s a step in everybody’s career that they want to make. I think I’m proud — whether I’d won or not, I think I was always proud of the consistency of the level that I’ve played for a long time, and I took a lot of pride in that.

But yeah, I think winning on the PGA TOUR was a step that I really wanted to take. You don’t need anything, but I wanted it. I wanted to do it.

Again, I go back to it, this one win, it sort of — it completes the story of the near misses and it has a crescendo to what has been building towards the back end of the season.

But when I go home, I’m just going to start practicing again. I’m going to start working again, and I’m going to look towards the next tournament.

There is always that side to it. I take immense pride in trying to compete with these guys out here. Very proud of playing on the PGA TOUR. I’m very proud of getting to these events and playing against all these amazing players.

But yeah, I think winning on the PGA TOUR was a step that I wanted to make, and hopefully it doesn’t take me as long to win another one.

Q. What were lessons from Travelers and Memphis that you applied to today, and how so?

I think there was more positives than negatives, and I think I took away that I did so many good things until the dying moments of the tournaments.

At Travelers, I was a couple of decisions out, a couple of half clubs, a bit messy on the last. The 18th hole at the Travelers went as bad as it could have possibly gone for me.

That one I felt like I gave away, even though I also feel like Keegan won it as well. I won’t take anything away from him.

I also think in Memphis, again, you look at the most recent one, I did so many good things. I putted so well. I scrambled when I had to.

I played well on that Sunday and took control of the tournament again with three holes to go, and I didn’t hit the shots that were required to finish the tournament off.

But I took away a lot of the good stuff that I did, and I did actually start today very similar to the other days as well.

I just had to keep gaining experience, keep putting myself there. I think I did an amazing job today of — like I said, I had to reset myself.

It wasn’t easy today; it wasn’t plain sailing. I lost my swing in the middle of the round. I was really erratic, and I had to find my swing, really under —

I don’t think trying to win a tournament is as much pressure as trying to keep your playing rights, things like that.

It’s a different type of pressure. I’m not going to say it’s bigger or less, it’s just a different type of pressure. It’s a joy to be in contention and try and win golf tournaments.

But at the same time, you have to deal with those little demons that are in the back of your mind, and doubt creeps in.

You remember what you got wrong, don’t want to get it wrong again, and you have to force yourself to think of the positives.

I think I really did a good job of really focusing on trying to put a good swing and trying to hit a good shot on especially 15, 16, 17.

The rhythm that I put on those swings, I was really, really pleased with. I leaned back on that really.

I think just as experience builds, at some point you’re going to get it right, and I did today.

Q. Oscar seemed a lot more emotional than you did. What does that tell you, do you think, about how hard people wanted it for you? And why do you think everyone likes you so much?

I don’t know about the last question. Yeah, Oscar is a big emotional little baba, really.

At the Ryder Cup in Italy, he was one of the first people that I saw after walking off the course in the singles, and he was in tears then, and it’s like, he’s just — yeah.

I’m so blessed with the family that I have and the love that surrounds me and the support that I get that it just makes everything that much easier really, whether it goes good or bad.

Whatever would have happened today, I would have walked off the 18th hole, and Oscar would have given me a hug. And we’d have gone home, and everything would have been great, like everything would have been fine.

I would have been gutted, we’d have all been gutted and hurt a little bit, but life would still have been great, and I think that’s something that I would never take for granted.

But I’m so lucky with — you say why do people like me so much? I’ve always been very lucky that I make a great connection with people. I try and be — if I could give my kids one piece of advice — there’s tons of advice, but I always tell them to be a good person first, and I’ve always tried to do that.

My dad always told me that, even when I was a young, aspiring amateur golfer, professional golfer, he always wanted me to be — he always said person first, golfer second.

You’re a good person first. Whatever happens after that, you try to be a good golfer second. I’ve always tried to be that.

Q. Do you think the level of popularity you have is a result of the tough losses that you’ve endured?

I think definitely people have gathered on the train that has been me trying to chase a PGA TOUR win. Like I say, I’ve tried to — a lot of it I do — you say the right things firstly for yourself.

I’m not going to come off, when I’ve had those near misses, and berate myself and make it worse. I want to be a positive impact on myself.

I know that what I want to do is get in contention again, I want to play against the best players in the world and I want to win the biggest tournaments. I’m not going to be able to do that if I have a negative attitude, if I have a poor attitude.

I try to be positive about everything and say the right things inwardly and outwardly, and then I guess people liked what I was saying. They liked the attitude that I had.

Again, I go back to my kids. That’s the things that I want those to be like. Again, it’s easy to say that you’re resilient, but it’s harder when you have to be resilient, and I think I feel lucky that I’ve had to show that side of myself. I feel lucky it actually paid off and that I won.

But yeah, I’ve been — it’s been great, the buzz that has been around me when I’ve been in contention. I

‘ve played unbelievable golf the last few weeks, the last couple months, the last year, very consistent. But to have that buzz and to have the support here, like just to have people chanting your name coming down the last few holes, for people to be carrying you on their shoulders is a very, very special feeling, and I would never take it for granted.

Q. What were the emotions like on the 18th green? You let out quite the yell there. Can you just walk us through what that actually felt like?

I guess the first thing was probably, like, take a breath, be a bit relieved that I finally got it over the line this time and that I can move forward with trying to win multiple rather than just trying to win one.

But it’s great. Down that last hole — I was hitting such good shots on the back nine — but it was always such a big effort. Nothing was flowing for me.

I had to really work hard at it. When you’ve had as many near misses as I’ve had, three-shot lead doesn’t feel like that many even on a par-5 when I’ve striped it down the — you know, I’m in play.

Yeah, so I think I was — and also, for the last two or three holes, you could kind of — you do get a sense of the ebb and flow of the tournament, door was just getting wider and wider.

It definitely looked like it was finally my time but then don’t want to get ahead of yourself. You’ve still got to hit the golf shots.

Just proud to have shown that it’s possible if you just keep going. I’m sure there was plenty of people — as much as there was people supporting me, I’m sure there was plenty of people that were doubting me as well.

I think just to prove that if you have the right attitude and you keep going that good things can happen.

Q. You mentioned you get those doubts that start to creep into your mind, but when they come, have you learned to recognize them, or do you try to erase them? What’s the strategy there?

They’re just feelings. They’re just thoughts. They don’t need to have any impact on how you play or how you execute the next golf shot. But they’re just as real as anything else that’s going on.

You just learn that they’re going to come, that they’re going to happen. Next time I’m in contention, I’ll have doubts again and I’ll deal with it.

I’ll have my positive thoughts. I’ll have my confident thoughts. I’ll have my doubts. It’s just reality. It just is what it is.

The hardest thing was when you’ve had as many — the near misses, that the doubts — there’s going to be more doubts than usual, if you like.

Like I say, always speak to yourself in the right way, always try and do the right things. Feelings are feelings; the golf ball doesn’t know any different. Just try and put a good swing on it.

Q. Curious, now that it’s all said and done, how glad are you that we’re not going to keep asking you about getting the first win here?

Well, it’s a shame that the story is gone.

I enjoyed it while it lasted in a sick way. But I hope that I can give — that we can talk about plenty more things in the future, really.

I will look back at all of this, and again, I feel like I keep repeating myself. I’ll be proud of the strength that I had to show to keep coming back and showing that it can be done if you’re resilient enough and you keep putting yourself in those positions.

I’ll look back at it and I’ll be able to tell people that I am really, really pleased that I get to talk to kids or aspiring golfers or aspiring sports people, whatever they’re trying to do, and I can genuinely talk about showing resilience or keep coming back after tough losses and keep working and all of those things and the skills that you have to use in order to put yourself there again and then finally get it done.

I’m really, really pleased that I get to do that and that I’m proof that it can happen.

I’ll miss talking about it, but I’ll be glad that I can talk to people about what can be done.

Q. People might have chopped and changed caddies after a lot of near misses. What’s it like to have your mate beside you?

I’m sure Finno had doubts about himself. I think it’s only natural, I think, that people look at what they think you need to do to improve and what you should do and how you should go about it.

I’m never — I never get sort of too emotionally involved in what people say. I think a lot of it comes from support as well. I think people probably want the best for you at times.

But for me, I’ve been doing so many good things, and I think, yeah, there’s been plenty of times where it’s not quite happened.

We’ve either got something wrong, somebody has beaten us or whatever it is. But you also have to focus on the ton of positives that were there. There was more good than bad. Just hadn’t quite got over the line.

But I’ve spent the last few weeks now being where every player that tees it up wants to be, so there were so many good things.

Yeah, it’s great — it was great walking down the 18th — I would have kind of liked to have enjoy it more with him, but I was going into this mental cocoon of trying to get through that 18th hole and I was very much head down and zoned in and let’s get the job done.

I would have liked to have enjoyed it a little bit more with him, but we had those moments on the last green. The crowds were amazing. I got to help Finno get to have those pictures forever, and it’s another accomplishment for us two as a team.

The post TOMMY FLEETWOOD INTERVIEW: FEDEX CUP CHAMPION appeared first on Golf News.

Welcome the champion of the 45th U.S. Senior Open and our two-time champion Padraig Harrington. Padraig, put that final round into words.

PADRAIG HARRINGTON: Into words, it was tension filled. All day it was tight and close. I was happy both Stewart and I got off to a good start. We made some birdies and got going.

It was quite important not to let the field back into it. Then we kind of hit the wall, which is kind of to be expected around that turn.

After that, I was nip and tuck with Stewart. I don’t watch leaderboards, so I think about through 13 holes I turned to my caddie and said, is anybody else in this? When he told me that Miguel was 9, that was worrying because he’s in a form that, if anybody is going to make some birdies, it’s Miguel.

I knew I was still ahead of Stewart and keeping an eye on him and trying to hit some nice shots through those back nine. Would have liked to hole one of the putts to get a two-shot lead. Stewart was obviously a little unlucky. He didn’t birdie 16 and 17 where he hit it in close.

Then on 18, I was coming down 18, I said to my caddie Ronan, I said, look, if I birdie this hole, I win. It takes all the permutations out of it. Ronan then said something to me, reminded me of something that Hale Irwin told me over the years. He said, always hit the shot you would hit if you’re one shot behind, and that kind of gave good clarity to what I was going to do.

Obviously if you’re one shot behind, you’d be hitting at that pin, you’ve got to take it on. That made the decision — I think it made the decision, but it gave me clarity to that decision that I was confident that I was doing the right thing.

Certainly there was a lot of relief with that second shot. We played it as adjusted at 138 meters. I hit a half pitching wedge. I knew it wouldn’t spin back because it was a half wedge. It skipped up there one bounce, stopped. It couldn’t have been close enough. What was it, six, seven feet. I would have struggled to two-putt from 40 feet, so I was very happy to have two to win from six feet.

Q. Talk about what it meant to have your family here this time too.

PADRAIG HARRINGTON: It’s brilliant when you get to celebrate with your family, especially my wife is here and one of my kids is here. The other is watching from around the world.

But it’s really nice because, as much as I’ve won tournaments back in the day, I didn’t get to enjoy the experience with my kids. They were there for some of them, but they were only little. Now they understand it.

I suppose that’s another great thing about the Champions Tour and the Senior Tour. It gives us this opportunity to relive our past glories.

Q. You mentioned that yesterday about these kinds of battles with Stewart, the opportunity to relive that, and that’s why you still play. Is there anything now, as you kind of look back at your career, that you feel like you can do now that you couldn’t do back then in golf?

PADRAIG HARRINGTON: Things change. You’re always trying to improve. You’re always trying to get better. I don’t think there’s anything I could do now that I couldn’t have done when I was younger.

I would have done some things different when I was younger for sure. I don’t regret how I approached the game and the way I went about it. Certainly I now appreciate more how much effort it takes to play on a Sunday compared to every other day.

If you want to win tournaments, you’ve got to be exceptionally fresh and mentally fresh on Sunday. You’ve got to have the least amount of stress all the way you can during the week.

Literally, probably just because of the nature of it, I definitely make an effort to enjoy my tournaments more, enjoy what’s going on around them. It’s not all work. And having your family here is part of that.

When you finish up — like on Wednesday night, what’s Wednesday night? I went for an In-n-Out burger. Like I didn’t eat a french fry or a burger for 10, 15 years of my career. It was all about everything was get the right diet, all that sort of thing.

Like the start of the tournament, I actually had two double-doubles.

(Laughter).

You might think that’s not the best in terms of everything should be perfect, but at this stage of my career, I’ve got to enjoy my life out here.

Opportunities like that to — when you come from Ireland, you don’t get the opportunity to go for an In-n-Out burger too often, so that was a nice bonus.

I’m a more relaxed person. Still not relaxed, but more relaxed than I was as a younger player.

Q. You mentioned Hale Irwin gave you that advice. Do you know when? When would that have happened? When is that kind of advice?

PADRAIG HARRINGTON: Now you’re getting into detail. I think he probably gave me that advice about three years ago when I started on the Champions Tour. Maybe he was hoping I’d have a run to keep Bernhard at bay to keep him from passing his record.

But yeah, that advice, it’s a simple thing, and it’s always the perfect shot. One shot behind; what shot would you hit if you’re one shot behind? For every occasion it works perfectly.

Q. How appreciative are you of the whole, the Champions Tour, the senior majors, just because it’s so unique to golf? Just because other sports don’t have it.

PADRAIG HARRINGTON: It’s unbelievable. We’re so much better together at this stage of our careers. Everybody is happier and friendlier. We’re not half as grumpy as we were when we were young guys.

I think, as you get older, you realize that you don’t actually have all the secrets and that you can actually tell everybody everything, and it’s up to them to figure it out too.

We’re much more relaxed than — we’re still competitive when we’re on the golf course. We want to play great golf, but I think the environment around the Champions Tour is really nice.

Most of us would have burnt out in golf. You put so much into your golfing career, you burn out. Usually you last about 20 years is the burn-out period, 15 to 20 years. The Champions Tour is a new lease on life.

The only way you can kind of do it is do it with a different attitude and a new attitude. As I said, it’s about, I suppose, enjoying your past glories now and reliving them.

Q. Stewart had a couple of five-, six-footers there on 16 and 17. As the guy who’s playing him, what’s the feeling there as you’re watching it? Especially knowing that the Broadmoor, it’s not automatic.

PADRAIG HARRINGTON: I’d missed the putts on 13, 14, 15. I missed some good chances. I thought I was going to pay for it. When Stewart was back to the wall, when I pushed him into it, he hit two great shots on 16 and 17 in there close.

Nothing’s given out here for sure, and nothing is that comfortable for all us guys on the Champions Tour. He looked like he hit pretty decent putts. Especially it looked like he hit a very good putt on 16, looked like it was going in.

I think, with what we’ve seen recently with JJ Spaun getting a great read on the 72nd hole and then Tommy Fleetwood giving a great read to Keegan Bradley, I was looking at Mark Hensby gave a great read to Stewart on 17, as his ball came down and it broke, but as it turned out, it actually messed him up because Stewart is coming up the hill, and if anything, it went to the right. So, yeah, that’s just how lucky I am. Those two guys — it was a bad break for Stewart, as it turned out.

Q. Did the kind of hurry-up pace regarding that they instituted today because of the weather and yesterday affect you at all today? Was it in your mind at all?

PADRAIG HARRINGTON: We were looking at that cloud all day. There’s no doubt about it. It came in early, and we’re looking at it. Because I was going well myself and Stewart were going well, you actually never want to stop when you’re going well. You don’t want to lose that momentum and have to restart.

Yeah, I really was very conscious, I was hoping — and I don’t have any control over the weather, but I was hoping that it would stay away and we’d get it done as they blew the hooter as I was out there and now coming back in. It was important to get it done.

You know, if somebody was playing badly, they’d probably be happy for a rain delay to get a restart, but in our case, it was nice that we got through it. I think it was there all day, but it looked — certainly with three or four holes to go, we really did feel like we were going to get home.

Q. You mentioned momentum right there. That birdie yesterday on 18, do you believe that that played into any momentum going into today and that helped you kind of get ready for today’s round?

PADRAIG HARRINGTON: When I looked at it, it was a three-shot swing — it could have been a three-shot swing. Mark and Stewart looked like they were going to make birdie to go to 9-under. Mine was going to go by.

As it turned out, could have gone by five, six feet. I didn’t feel good on the greens yesterday, I was having a really tough day. I could have ended up 6-under to 9-under. It did change things.

I got into the last group, I slept soundly last night. I was in a nice place going to bed last night. So, yeah, I do believe that momentum definitely holds true in a whole tournament when you’re getting breaks. You never realize in a tournament, sometimes it’s avoiding bad breaks. It’s not always getting obvious good breaks. It’s sometimes you could hit — you might hit a bad shot into a green, and it’s 15 feet underneath the pin, and not realize that everybody who hit a good shot actually bounced past the hole and ended up three-putting.

There’s a lot of that going on, but certainly it could break like that on 18. Just getting the cheer of the crowd, that just helps. I got a big, big cheer. There was a huge crowd on 18 yesterday. For sure, it was a big boost. It looked like it did carry into today.

Q. You said this was your first time at the Broadmoor. Just as you leave this course, your overall thoughts on the difficulty of the greens and the rough?

PADRAIG HARRINGTON: It’s been a great week here. Everything about the facilities have been great. The golf course itself, I think everybody talks about the altitude and then the elevation changes on the course, but you’ve got to play the course kind of backwards here.

The greens are as tough, as treacherous as we’d ever see, and you’ve got to know where you’re hitting your tee shots to approach these greens and then you’ve got to know exactly where you’re going to hit your second shots if you can and keep the ball under the hole.

Sometimes you’ve even got to make sure that you — sometimes playing safe is not the right option. There’s a lot of thinking going on. I suppose the biggest thing you have to do with the yardages and the pin positions is whatever you choose, you’ve got to commit to it and feel like you have made the best decision.

Q. As a guy who’s won three regular majors and a previous U.S. Senior Open, put into perspective what this one means to you?

PADRAIG HARRINGTON: Winning, it’s all bout winning. Every time you come back out and you win, the nerves are there, the tension’s there, you don’t want to mess up. So, yeah, it’s very exciting to come out here and win, but I think what winning a U.S. Senior Open or any tournament on the Champions Tour, it kind of validates your career. It validates the past in a lot of ways.

Genuinely, I know I’ve said this, but you are reliving the past glories. You’re hitting shots and you’re waving at the crowds. The people come out because they know you from the past. The amount of people that will come and say they were at my majors, they watched my majors, or maybe they started playing golf because of the major wins that I’ve had.

I also get the grown man who come up to me who tells me I gave them my golf ball when they were a kid. I get that a lot as well. They could have full beard, everything. But that’s what we’re here for. It really does. I think the Champions Tour consistently delivers great drama Sunday afternoon, household names that we’re familiar with.

The fact that we’re not all perfect out here, we have many demons out here on the Champions Tour. Everybody’s dealing with something. They’re not happy chipping. They’re not happy putting. There’s a lot going on in our heads out here.

In many ways, we’re actually more human as well. We’re more relatable because we can certainly mess up.

Q. You said earlier this week this was the first time you’d come to Colorado. Did you have expectations any different than a normal tournament?

PADRAIG HARRINGTON: The expectations, everybody talks about the altitude all the time. So we were aware of that. I played a lot at altitude over the years in different countries, so that wasn’t going to be a big deal.

I just really enjoyed the experience here at the Broadmoor. Right from the start, you’d be surprised, you stay in a nice hotel; sometimes we stay in a very average place because it’s near the thing. Here we’re staying in a beautiful hotel. It just settles you down for the week. Everything about it, being on site, which made it very easy, it just was a very nice, comfortable week.

Look, I’m here working this week. I think there’s nobody that wouldn’t come here on a holiday, would they?

Q. Miguel had a pretty crazy run today. Were you scoreboard watching at all?

PADRAIG HARRINGTON: I don’t scoreboard watch. Especially as myself and Stewart were going well, I didn’t need to scoreboard watch. I knew it was between me and him. When we stalled up on the back nine, which often happens, we kind of hit a wall.

So on 13 I did ask my caddie, is it just me and Stewart, or is there anybody else here?

I was worried that if there’s somebody else there, I’d have to go after it a bit more; whereas if you’re one ahead, you’re hitting the shots like you’re one shot behind. You should always hit that anyway.

I was just a little bit worried. I didn’t know he got to 10 because I don’t watch scoreboards. I knew he got to 9. I was worried about Miguel because good things are happening to Miguel at the moment. He birdied the last two last week to get into a playoff. He’s in that frame of mind to do crazy things.

Yeah, it was a little bit in the back of my head, but I didn’t hear big cheers coming home. So I was kind of — I only checked again — I probably checked on — I think I only checked on the 18th that Miguel hadn’t — wasn’t in it, it was just myself and Stewart. Up to that, I was quite comfortable that I needed.

I was trying to make birdies on those holes coming in, but I wasn’t panicking, even though, as I said, Miguel is having a great run. He’s doing crazy things. So he would be a danger.

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Tracked closely throughout the day by fellow Masters winners Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau, Scheffler held his nerve through the infamous Green Mile and sealed his place in the winner’s circle, departing Charlotte as a deserving major champion.

If you’re looking for betting advice for any sporting event, check out any of these tipsters in the future.

Q. Scottie, congratulations. I was kind of half-stalking you before the round today, watching you do your warmup and things like that. Just curious about the mindset. I remember at the Masters you said it was an overwhelming feeling before hand. Has it changed? Do you wish for time to move faster? What’s it like in the hours before a big round like this?

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: I think the mornings are typically kind of long. I did my best to sleep in. You can only do so much of that with a 1-year-old at home.

Yeah, I think it’s always simpler for me once I get to the golf course and in my routine. Playing golf for me, I think is always the easier part. Once you get out here, it’s time to compete and time to do your thing.

That’s what’s really the most fun. Getting a chance to play in a major championship and playing with the lead and having a chance to win is the most fun I’ll have in my career, outside of the team events.

I was excited for today. I was a little bit anxious. You work your whole lifetime for a chance to play in these tournaments, and I had a great opportunity to win one today.

Sometimes I think — yeah, maybe you’re right, I just want to get out there and start playing. But I don’t know.

Q. When you threw your hat on the green afterward, that kind of cathartic moment, obviously it’s happiness that you won, but what other emotions are in that?

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: Just a lot of happiness. I think, you know, just maybe thankful as well. It was a long week. I felt like this was as hard as I battled for a tournament in my career. This was a pretty challenging week.

The first two days I did not swing it my best, and I was able to post a score somehow. Outside of the last five holes yesterday, that’s where I really kind of put myself ahead in the tournament. I mean, the back nine today was pretty special as well.

But yesterday the way I finished off that round, I think it was really important for me to have a lead to play with today. I played with it a little bit more than I would have liked to. I think at one point in the tournament I was tied for the lead on the back nine, but I stepped up when we needed to, and it was a pretty special week.

Q. I know you spent a lot of time really focusing on staying present, but I’m wondering, do you have any like big career goals?

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: Not really. I don’t focus on that kind of stuff. I love coming out here and trying to compete and win golf tournaments, and that’s what I’m focused on.

After this week, I’m going to go home and get ready for next week’s tournament, and the show goes on. If I show up and miss the cut next week, I’m going to have to answer questions of what went wrong and just start over again on Thursday.

That’s one of the things that can be frustrating about our game, and it’s also what’s great about our game. If I had a tough day today and came in with a loss, I could step back up on the tee Thursday next week and have another chance to win a tournament.

It’s an endless pursuit, and it’s a lot of fun. It’s definitely one of the great joys of my life to be able to compete out here.

Q. Would you categorize yourself as having competitive fire?

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: Yeah (laughing).

Q. Sort of building on that, some athletes just want to win. Others want to kind of crush the opponent. Where do you fall on that continuum?

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: That’s a tough question to answer. Winning is a lot of fun, and I think winning as often as I can is a lot of fun. Each week you’re playing in a tournament, and you want to try to give yourself a chance to win.

When I stepped on the tee on Thursday, I’m not thinking about what’s going to happen on Sunday. I’m preparing for a 72-hole event. That’s what I tell myself on the 1st tee: It’s 72 holes. That’s a lot of time. That’s a lot of holes. That’s a lot of shots.

I always focus on my preparation, and so when I show up on the 1st tee, I just tell myself to stay patient, remind myself that I’m prepared for this and go out and just compete.

Q. But then you get to the back nine and you’re in a dogfight with one player, how much do you want to beat that guy?

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: How many guys are in the field this week, 156? You’ve got to beat 155 guys if you want to be sitting up here. There’s a lot of guys you you’ve got to beat. I knew somebody was going to make a move today.

There’s too much talent in the game of golf for me to slap the ball around today with a three-shot lead — three shots in 18 holes is really not that much. I gave that up, I think, in nine holes today.

Overall I was proud of how I stepped up on the back nine and hit the shots I needed to. It was a big birdie I hit on 10. Hit quality shots on 11, 12, 13, 14, 15 really, and was able to build up a lead and play pretty conservative the last three holes. Two nice up-and-downs there on 16 and 17, and I was able to kind of slap it around there on 18.

Q. I’m interested in how you get so good at something. My question for you is: What is it that fires you up about winning so much? What is it that makes you want to get out there and just win?

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: When I think about the game of golf, my favorite thing to do in golf is probably just — when I can be by myself and I can just practice, it’s one of the most fun things for me. It’s so peaceful, and I love the pursuit of trying to figure something out. That’s what I love about this game.

I feel like you’re always battling yourself, and you’re always trying to figure things out. And you’re never going to perfect it. I can be kind of a crazy person sometimes when it comes to putting my mind to something.

In golf, there’s always something you can figure out, there’s always something you can do better. It’s a great challenge, and it’s a lot of fun.

Q. You’ve obviously won the Masters twice, but the first time you won one of the other majors, does it feel like you’ve overcome something, or to sort of win a major at one of the other courses?

Obviously you’ve won at these courses a lot on Tour, but to win a major somewhere else, did it feel like a step, and will it lead to more, do you think?

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: I feel like I’ve won on some different types of tracks. This is a golf course where it was a big course. This would be a golf course that would lean more towards a bomber.

I’m not necessarily a bomber out here. I’m above average in length. I hit it far enough, I would say, but I’m definitely not a bomber, per se.

This is a golf course in which the fairways are pretty big. The greens are fairly big as well, but the spots you’ve got to hit to are quite small. I did a good job this week of staying patient and hitting the important shots really well.

I felt like the holes in which I needed to hit really good shots, I was able to do that, and that’s why I’m sitting here.

Q. When you made the turn and you’re down to 9, tied with Jon, kind of fighting the lefts, are you able to totally stay in your process and be sort of like mentally the same as you would be, or are you fighting off some nasty thoughts, like am I going to let this slip away? Am I blowing this? Or are you totally able to maintain like your usual focus?

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: Kind of what I reminded myself in the turn is — I had a bite to eat. And I told myself, if I keep making good swings, I’m not going to continue to hit the ball left every time, statistically speaking.

So I just tried to get up there on No. 10 and hit a good shot, and that’s really all I was thinking about is trying to get the ball on the fairway. I knew I needed nine really good holes.

I hit a good shot on 10. Good approach shot, and I executed.

From there, fairway on 11. Really good iron shot.

Fairway on 12. Really good iron shot.

Good iron shot on 13.

Good tee ball on 14. Good birdie there.

Two great shots on 15. From 10 to 15, I felt like I executed as good as I had almost all week. That was a very important time in the tournament. I’m definitely proud of that kind of fight we showed there in that little stretch.

Q. Was there any kind of like specific physical adjustment within that, or was it, like you said, just a matter of getting it out?

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: Well, I felt like in the beginning of the round, I was maybe a little short in my swing, and then I started making a good full turn.

Like, 7, 8, 9, I felt like I hit the shots really solid and it was coming out left. And I told Teddy walking up, 9 tee, I was like, “That one felt pretty good. I don’t know why that was left again.”

He was like, “Well, maybe you’re aimed over there. Just try and hit a little further right.”

I was like, okay. So I got on 10, and felt like I squared up my shoulders and hit it right up the middle.

I think the tee shot I hit into 11 was the one that propelled me into a great back nine. That’s a hard tee shot for me. Doesn’t really suit my eye. I stepped up there and hit a really good shot and kid of executed really well from there on out.

Q. You joked before that Meredith would smack you on the head if you ever tried to come home and bring your trophies into the house. That’s a pretty big one. I mean, where is that going to go in the house?

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: Where’s it going to go? I have a room in my house called “The Golf Room,” and that’s where all my crap goes, literally. It’s just a room full of all my golf junk. I’ve got some trophies in there as well, and that’s probably where this one will go.

Q. Is it nicely presented or just kind of all hanging out?

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: I’d like to say that it’s nicely presented, but it’s not.

Q. Scottie, you did some things last year that we haven’t seen since peak Tiger Woods. If you look statistically, you’re actually trending to be even better. How have you and your team been able to do that?

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: I don’t know. I think we put in a lot of work just showing up here to tournaments to try and do our best.

I have a great team around me, all the way down to — I mean, I have a manager that keeps my mind clear. I don’t have a ton of responsibilities outside of golf. He does a really good job of letting me go play and do my thing. He knows what’s most important for me and gives me the ability to do that.

I’ve got a great coach in Randy. I’ve got a great putting coach in Phil. I’ve got a great caddie. I’ve got a great family, a great wife and a wonderful son. I feel like off the golf course, my life is wonderful. We live what I would feel like is a pretty simple life at home.

Life on the golf course has been great as well. I’ve been able to win some tournaments. When we go home, sometimes I think Meredith and I still feel like we’re in high school. We have great friends, and we’re looking forward to getting home this week and doing normal stuff with our friends, celebrating a nice win.

Q. Congratulations. I just wanted to talk a little bit about your relationship with Randy. Then I’m curious, too, what may be the best coaching tip he’s ever given you?

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: I would say Randy, he’s taught me since I was 7 years old. I can’t imagine what that’s like from his end.

As far as I’m concerned, he’s just — he’s the one who teaches me how to swing, and he’s pretty much the only guy I consult when it comes to that kind of stuff.

He’s a bit of a crazy person at times, but he’s a savant when it comes to teaching me the golf swing, and he’s a pretty special guy as well. I’m thankful for what he’s taught me in the game of golf and life as well.

I felt like Randy always did — it’s hard to really boil it down to one thing. But I felt like throughout the entire time he taught me, he always did a really good job of helping us all stay patient.

I think, especially when you’re as competitive, I think, as I am, when you’re younger and things aren’t going the way they’re supposed to, Randy always did a really good job of reminding me that it was a long journey to become good at golf. You know, you’re going to have ups and downs. I kind of fought my body for a while there in college. Fought some growth spurts in high school.

I wasn’t always the best player. I felt like I could be the best player. But I was a good junior player, a good amateur player, and I did a good job kind of rising up the ranks in professional golf. Randy was always by my side helping me stay patient and teaching me little things along the way.

Q. When you talk about golf being a constant battle with yourself, when you think back to the feelings you had before that Masters Sunday in 2022, that kind of self-doubt, didn’t know if you were ready, has your constant accomplishments kind of helped wash away that self-doubt, or is that something you fight still before rounds like this?

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: I don’t know if “self-doubt” is the right description.

I think, if I go to what I was feeling Sunday morning before the Masters in ’22, three months before that tournament, I had just won my first tournament on the PGA TOUR. Won my first tournament in February, and all of a sudden, I’ve got a three-shot lead going into Masters Sunday as the No. 1 player in the world.

It’s one of those deals where my wife and I were sitting there, like how did we get to this point? What’s gone on in the last couple years of our life that kind of put us here? I’m just not sure if we were ready for all that it entailed. It’s a different lifestyle coming out here and playing now than it was for me four or five years ago.

It’s obviously all great things. I love the position that I’m in. But I think that’s more of where those feelings came from. It’s just more of the unexpected and not sure if we were really ready for that.

So then when I think about a morning like this morning, it’s a long morning. Like I said, you work your whole life to have a chance to win tournaments, and what better chance you can have than sitting on a three-shot lead.

Sometimes I wish I didn’t care as much as I did — or as I do. It would be a lot easier if I could show up and be like, eh, win or lose, I’m still going to go home and do whatever. Sometimes I feel that way.

But at the end of the day, this means a lot to me. It’s pretty special sitting here with the trophy. I’m very grateful and looking forward to getting home and celebrating.

Q. Scottie, given what you went through last year in Louisville, is this even sweeter?

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: I mean, it’s definitely very sweet sitting here with the trophy. I definitely have a few jokes that I want to say that I’m probably going to keep to myself (laughter).

Q. Go for it.

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: That’s not a good idea (laughter).

That’s a good question. I think — I don’t know. Last year sometimes, it still doesn’t almost feel real. It really doesn’t. It’s just one of those deals that I really don’t know how to describe it. But I can tell you it’s very sweet sitting here with the trophy this year.

This was a hard week on a very difficult golf course and very difficult conditions over the weekend. I mean, the winds were high, and it was very challenging. I’m definitely very pleased to be sitting here with the trophy. It’s a pretty sweet feeling.

Q. A big topic of conversation this week has been the driver testing. Was your driver one of the ones tested this week?

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: Yeah.

Q. Did you have to make any change?

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: Yeah.

Q. How did that go? Did that have anything to do with hitting it left today?

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: No. I think that was my fault (laughter).

No. So the driver testing is something that regularly happens on Tour. My driver did fail me this week. We had a feeling that it was going to be coming because I’ve used that driver for over a year. I was kind of fortunate for it to last that long, I felt like.

I would argue that if we’re going to test the drivers, we need to be even more robust in the way we test them. That was a conversation I had with one of the rules officials; if it’s something we’re going to take seriously, I feel like we’re almost going halfway with it right now.

If we’re going to test only a third of the field. If we’re going to do it right, leave it up to us as players, like the rest of the rules in the game of golf are.

It’s a newer rule that we haven’t quite gotten right yet. I think we have some stuff to figure out. I think, if we’re going to do it, we might as well do it right, get more robust and get even more strict. You can test guys every week, if you want. I mean, there’s no reason why we shouldn’t.

Q. When you mention being — you mentioned that you didn’t feel like you had the prep that you wanted. Was that having to work with the driver?

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: Oh, no. The driver for me is actually really easy. Like I said, we were prepared for it.

I had used my driver for over a year. With the amount of practice that I do, I felt like I was fortunate for it to last that long.

The team at TaylorMade, Adrian, did a really good job — actually the week of the Byron, we were really focused on getting it back up for that tournament and this one. Adrian, he did a great job getting me fit for a head.

Like I said, we were really prepared. So it wasn’t that big of a deal.

Q. When you think about how you responded to the mud ball on Thursday or how you responded to the birdie putt on 18 on Saturday or how you responded today with this big win, is there any way you can explain to the ordinary viewer just how intense the experience of playing championship golf is?

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: It’s really hard to describe like what it’s like — I mean, you kind of describe it as being in the arena. I don’t think you can really understand what it’s like in the arena until you step in it, and it’s all on the line.

I’ve prepared my entire life to become somewhat decent at this game, and to have a chance to win a tournament that I dreamed about as a kid is a pretty cool feeling. When you step out on the 1st tee, it’s pretty dang cool. There’s definitely stress. It’s definitely challenging, but at the same time, I mean, it’s a lot of fun.

Q. Jon Rahm actually fell away over the final few holes. I was wondering when you became aware of that, and did it allow to you relax towards the end of your round?

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: I didn’t really relax until I got the ball over the water on 17. I felt like after that, I could kind of limp on 18 with the lead that I had.

With this closing stretch, you can never be complacent with your game. I had saw that Jon and I were tied I was playing No. 10, maybe. I think he birdied 10 and 11. I think he was at 9-under. Is that right? Then I was able to birdie 10, which gave me a one-shot lead at the time.

But the leaderboards from 10 through — basically through 14, didn’t really show me what I was hoping they would show me. They were kind of — like at Augusta, the leaderboard is kind of always up there. These leaderboards were changing, like, to different groups. If I would look over, it would be like he was in 25th place.

I’m looking at the leaderboard, like, come on, guys, show me what’s going on at the top. If people want to know who’s in 30th, look at your phone. I need to know what’s going on at the top of the leaderboard.

So I didn’t really see much on those holes. I just prepared for Jon to go out and have a back nine. He’s a great player and a great champion, and he does a really good job of stepping up in the big moments. I was fully expecting him to have a great back nine as well.

I did my best to keep executing shots and stay in my little bubble.

When I was walking down 15, I had just birdied 14 to get to 11-under, and I saw him in the bunker right on 16, and he didn’t get it up-and-down.

So the conversation I had with myself, like, if he was at 9 — I think I saw a leaderboard on 13 green. That’s what it was. Finally I saw one on 13 green. He was at 9. I was at 10. And he was playing 15. The best he could be was bogey there because I didn’t hear crazy roars was 9 under; if I birdie here, it’s going to go a long way.

Then as I was walking down 16, I saw that he was only at maybe 8 and I was at 12. So in my head, I told myself, I can’t control what these other guys do; if I make three pars, the golf tournament’s mine, and that’s what I was focused on.

Q. When you’re in the final group on a Sunday at a major and you’re in the lead, and a big crowd is following you and a lot of people are shouting things at you, do you ever listen to those people, or are you just zoned out in the moment?

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: I think inevitably you can hear when they’re right there shouting at you. It’s a bit of a weird deal. I don’t know why people need to yell at you when they’re that close.

But at the end of the day, I’m focused on the task at hand, and I’ve got to execute.

Q. If ever run for president, you’ve got a few votes out there.

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: I guess winning never hurts the amount of votes you can get.

Q. Scottie Scheffler, that was a hard-fought battle today. What were you fighting on the front nine that you figured out and you overcame for such a dominant performance to claim your third major championship title?

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: I felt — I don’t know, I mean, I just kept hitting it left (laughter). I knew it was going to be a challenging day.

Finishing off a major championship is always difficult, and I did a good job of staying patient on the front nine. I didn’t have my best stuff, but I kept myself in it, and I stepped up on the back nine and had a really good nine holes. That’s about it.

Q. Most relatable comment ever by a World Number 1. We all hit it left sometimes. We’ve seen you slip on two green jackets. We have now just watched you hoist your first Wanamaker Trophy. What’s the significance of claiming the second leg in this major championship circuit, and what’s it mean to you to get No. 3?

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: I’m just really proud of the way I fought this week. I was battling my swing the first couple days. I didn’t have as good a prep week as I wanted to. It was a battle out there.

Teddy did a good job of keeping me in it, and Randy helped me figure out things on my swing. Morris helped get my body right. It was a real team effort this week. I’m proud of the whole squad. Looking forward to celebrating this one.

Q. We know for you family is over everything. Randy Smith, as you just mentioned, a PGA golf professional, has been your coach since you were 7 years old. What does it mean to win it in front of him, and what has he meant to you, not just in golf, but in life?

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: It’s tough to put into words what Randy means to me. He’s a special man, and he’s taught me everything about the game of golf. This is a pretty cool moment for the both of us. I don’t really know how to put it into words, but he definitely is family to me.

I always described him as the fun uncle growing up. I could ask him stuff that I wouldn’t necessarily ask my dad. He taught me a lot more than the game of golf. I’m looking forward to celebrating this one with him.

Q. What does this mean to you and why are you so good on the big stages?

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: I don’t know, I mean, this is a special tournament. Any time you can win a major championship is pretty cool, and I’m proud of how I did this week just staying in it mentally and hitting the shots when I needed to.

This back nine will be one that I remember for a long time. It was a grind out there. I think at one point on the front I maybe had a four- or five-shot lead, and making the turn, I think I was tied for the lead.

So to step up when I needed to the most, I’ll remember that for a while.

Q. What do you consider to be your greatest attributes to play in the major championships?

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: You know, I always try to lean as much as I can on my mind. I think that’s probably my greatest strength. You know, like today and this week I really just feel like I did just such a good job of staying patient when I wasn’t swinging it my best but I hit the shots when I needed to.

I hit the important shots well this week, and that’s why I’m walking away with the trophy. The shots on the golf course that are most important, those are the ones I feel like I did my best at this week and maybe at times out there, some of the easier ones maybe I lost a bit of focus or something but overall when I needed to, I feel like I hit the shots.

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Q. What’s it mean to you to defend your title here this week at RBC Heritage?

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: It’s fun being back here in Hilton Head. We have special memories here from last year’s tournament. It’s good to be back in town. Like I said, the food’s really good.

It feels like a really easy week for us coming off of Augusta. The golf course is really great. It’s a simple week for us. Most people rent houses here in the community. It’s easy to get to the golf course. It’s a simple, calm week for us, and it’s a lot of fun as well.

Q. This course is not as long as Augusta. Does that play more into shot shaping and give players who don’t drive as much, I don’t want to say an advantage, but a chance to score as well.

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: It’s definitely a positional golf course for sure. This golf course is much more about control and putting your ball in the right spots and staying out of the trouble.

The fairways here are much smaller than Augusta and a flatter golf course overall. A bit of a different test, but definitely still a good test.

Q. Your head space was a little different last year. You were right there ready to have your first kid. Over the last year, how has your perspective of the game of golf and maybe life in general changed since a big milestone in your life?

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: Having Ben around is pretty awesome. He’s a lot of fun. It’s fun for us to have him here this week. This is the third year I’ve played this tournament, and we have some good memories here. It’s very exciting.

Took him for a walk on the beach last night. We’re getting to really enjoy being in the community here, and it’s been a lot of fun.

Q. You heard, I’m sure, about the firing of the cannon into the Calibogue Sound. Now that you’ve experienced it, can you talk about that a little bit?

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: Fortunately, I had some ear plugs. It’s always nice when a cannon is going off. It’s also the first time I’ve hit a tee shot while the cannon is going off. It was definitely a unique experience. I was definitely glad just to be able to make contact with the ball and not embarrass myself out there.

Q. What was it like hitting that little club?

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: It was a different feeling. No glove, had a pretty big jacket on. It was definitely unique but a lot of fun.

Q. Was it a lot heavier?

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: I couldn’t tell you because I was wearing a jacket. Everything felt weird.

Q. You’ve had the opportunity to be involved in quite a few ceremonies the last several years. How does this compare to it, and is this the loudest one you’ve participated in?

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: This is the first opening ceremony I’ve been a part of. This is something that’s unique to this tournament. It’s a very cool tradition and unique to be a part of.

Q. The official announcement of a mixed team event in the Olympics. Your feelings about that?

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: Well, it sounds like some of us may have another opportunity to win a gold medal for our country, which is always cool.

As far as the Olympics goes, any time you get to go and represent your country, it’s a really special feeling. I haven’t heard much about the format or anything like that. A mixed team event should be fun. I don’t know exactly what it will be, but I think any opportunity you can have to win a gold medal for your country will be pretty special.

Q. The first week they’re using distance measuring devices. Are you going to use that this week, and do you think it’s going to help?

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: You’re not going to like this answer, but I kind of forgot about that.

(Laughter.)

I’ll trust Ted what he wants to do. I don’t really care. He’s the one that gets the number. I’m sure we’ll have it in the bag.

We’ve been using it PGA the last couple years, haven’t we? Is it going to help pace of play? Maybe a few minutes. Will it be anything significant? No. This tournament, what affects the pace of play is walking the golf course. I think we’re playing twosomes all week, so it will go from a five hour round to maybe four hours or less.

When you see the biggest changes in pace of play, it all comes from going from three guys to two guys in a pairing. It’s just easier to get around the golf course.

Also, the distance walking from green to tee is a big factor as well if you’re going to save 15, 20 minutes off the round. This golf course is pretty simple in terms of getting around.

Q. Do you think they should be used?

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: I don’t really have a strong opinion on it. If you get a golf course like this where it’s hard to really get offline. If you get offline, you’re just in the forest.

If you’re just punching out and hitting weird shots, I think on some of the bigger golf courses when you get pretty far offline, it can be a little bit of a — a less advantage to a great caddie who maybe has a way of doing the numbers better than other caddies, or maybe has put in the work to get numbers from certain areas. So it could take away a little bit of that.

I’m not sure if it will have a significant impact on pace of play, but we’ll see. It’s something we haven’t tested out before. Will it save a few minutes? I don’t think it would hurt pace of play, but you never know. My answer is we’ll see what happens.

Q. What’s your personal preference on that? What would increase the pace of play on the TOUR?

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: I think the only way to have a significant impact on the pace of play, if you look at the average round time last week — Thursday and Friday you’re playing in threes, Saturday and Sunday you’re playing in twos — there’s going to be a significant difference, probably over an hour difference in pace of play.

The pace of play debate is funny. I think people want to watch exciting golf. I think that’s what it’s all about. Let’s say if we do all these changes and we save 20 minutes off of a round of golf. Is somebody going to sit down on the couch on Sunday and go, well, I didn’t have five hours to watch a round of golf, but I’ve got four hours and 40 minutes. Now I’m in.

I think, if we’re going to spend a lot of time and energy, I think where I would want to spend it is get more people involved in the game of golf, more people able to come and play. It’s a great game. It’s a great sport. You learn a lot of life lessons playing golf.

What’s most important for me as a player, where I want to spend the most time and energy specifically in the game of golf is getting people involved. I’ve met some of my best friends in the whole world playing the game of golf. It’s a really special game that I think more people should want to play.

Q. Any highlights stick out from being in the Butler Cabin with Rory?

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: In that moment, like it was such an emotional day for him, I kind of just tried to stay out of the way and basically get the jacket on without embarrassing him or myself.

I got to watch the whole celebration. I watched the finish. It was really cool for me to be able to see because I have — I don’t have the understanding of what it’s like to be asked about the career grand slam, but I have a small understanding of what it’s like to be asked, hey, you accomplished this, but you haven’t accomplished that. It can be very taxing on people sometimes.

It was cool to be able to see Rory get the job done. Definitely from the outside it looked a lot more like relief than anything. Rory has accomplished everything in the game of golf, and that was really the last thing for him to accomplish. The guy has won FedExCup, THE PLAYERS, all four majors. Maybe the only other thing would be the Olympics is what he would want to win.

So for him, it was really cool for me to be there in that moment. He’s a good friend of mine. To be able to congratulate him and just see the joy on him and his family was really cool.

Q. What do you bring from last year’s win to help you this year?

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: Last year, I came here pretty tired from the last week, and I did a good job of managing myself and how I got around the golf course. Definitely will reflect on how I played and struck the ball last year here in terms of getting ready for this week’s event.

Q. Are you less tired now?

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: Yeah.

Q. Seems like a pretty exhausting week.

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: It was an exhausting week, but it takes a lot out of you to win a golf tournament emotionally. On Sunday, yeah, I was in the tournament. It takes a little bit out of you, but the adrenaline you get from actually winning the tournament is a lot different than getting close.

I’m sitting there on 18 fairway last week, and Rosie was at 10-under. I’m thinking to myself, I’m going at this pin. I’m going to try to hole this, and then he makes it, and you’re like, well, tournament’s over. I lost. Didn’t win, lost, whatever.

I was looking at Teddy, and I’m like, all right, Teddy, I guess I’m going to aim at the middle of the green now. He’s like, yeah, aim at the middle of the green. Let’s get out of here.

For instance, if Rosie misses that putt and I hole it, huge adrenaline rush, and that takes something out of you. Kind of like the adrenaline rush you get from getting arrested. It takes something out of you.

(Laughter.)

As far as being spent, I’m not nearly as spent as I was last year. The party on Sunday looked slightly different than it did last year. I still had fun with friends, but it’s just a different feeling. Last year, for instance, we flew home, was home for a day and a half and traveled and got in an airplane. That takes a toll on your body.

For instance, this year we hung out at Augusta on Sunday, drove over here yesterday, had some lunch, got some treatment, slept in today. Feel ready to roll.

Q. Your immediate takeaway from yesterday was just not having your best, which happens, and hanging in there and fighting pretty hard. Anything change in the last day in terms of any of your thoughts? And do you have any idea why the ball wasn’t going where you wanted it to?

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: I told Meredith one night, one of the hardest parts of today is, when I aim the golf ball this way is it either went that way or that way. It very rarely went that way.

It was a taxing week for me, but like I said, I haven’t had my best stuff this year, but I feel like I’m learning a lot. Each week I feel like I’m improving and continuing to learn. It definitely is nice to be here at a tournament — I hit some balls before I came over here today. I feel like each day I come to the range, I’m getting a little bit better. Things are starting to feel more the way they should.

I’m excited for this week. It’s a really good test of ball striking, this golf course. You’ve got to curve it both ways. You’ve got to hit shots. We’re going to get some wind. You have to control spin, control trajectory. I’m looking forward to this week.

Q. Scottie, can you talk about your family being here and this whole — the whole atmosphere, family friendly, and being able to bring your family here this week?

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: This is a tournament where a lot of players will bring their family. It’s very easy for us to be able to rent a home in here, just enjoy the week. It’s a great walking neighbourhood. You stay close. The restaurants were great. We’re staying close to the beach this week, so already took Ben on a couple walks on the beach. He ate some sand yesterday — a lot of sand yesterday actually.

It’s a lot of fun. It’s nice for us. We have some friends coming to town to stay with us this week. I’m just looking forward to a relaxing week, get to enjoy some competition.

For us it’s an easy week, and it’s fun. You get to bring your family. I don’t really know how to elaborate other than it’s a lot of fun.

Q. It’s not really a looking back question, but considering you basically started the year a month late, did you find any sense of urgency in trying to catch up with Augusta? Is there any part of you going forward that, now you’re almost back to normal in terms of catch up?

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: There’s definitely an aspect to that, not only because I started a month late, but I was set back four weeks by injury and not being able to do the stuff I would normally do.

For instance, when you look at the off-season, I have things I try to improve on, accomplished what I wanted to accomplish, feel ready going into the season. All of a sudden, I’ve got to take a month off. A lot of that time, it feels like you’re starting over because you lose strength, lose mobility.

I did my best to keep those things up, but there’s only so much you can do with one hand. I don’t want to do a bunch of workouts on this side and then come back and this side and be even weaker.

Taking four weeks of golf is an extended break. I would typically take that right when the season ends so I have time to build back into the course of the regular season, and this year I wasn’t able to do that. So I was playing a bit of catch-up.

Like I said, I feel like I’m improving each week. Body’s starting to feel better. Swing’s starting to feel better. I feel like I’m working towards having another good season.

I haven’t had my best start this year, but I’ve had some good finishes. It was definitely good to be back in contention last week and in Houston. The feeling of being in contention at a golf tournament is a lot of fun, and I’m hoping to do that this week.

Q. Do you take some inspiration seeing Rory win the career grand slam?

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: I feel like, when I see somebody winning a tournament, the feeling you get from winning a tournament is a pretty special feeling. For me, I wish it lasted longer than it did. It doesn’t really last very long.

I feel like watching anyone accomplish anything in the game of golf, it takes a lot of work. I don’t think very often about career goals or anything like that. I try my best to stay in the present.

Was it pretty awesome watching Rory win the grand slam? Of course it was. But as far as my life goes, I try to stay in the present. So right now I’m focused on this week, and when I get home next week, I’m going to be preparing for my next tournament.

At the end of the day, my motivation is all internal. Was it really cool getting to see him accomplish that? Yes, of course. Winning the career grand slam, I think that’s something that any golfer would dream of, but at the end of the day, I’m just trying to get the most out of myself. That’s about it.

DANIEL MEARS: I’m Chef Daniel Mears of Fraser’s Tavern, and this is the burger you created for us. It has got our brioche bun with sesame seeds, Old Bay aioli, pepper jack cheese, crispy applewood smoked bacon, crispy onion straws and of course the jalapeno peppers.

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: Actually, I’m starving. So this is perfect.

The post SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER INTERVIEW: RBC HERITAGE appeared first on Golf News.

After winning five times in a row this year, Nelly Korda has leapt to the top of the world ranking. Here, the 25-year-old American talks about what kick-started her recent run of form and looks forward to a packed summer schedule, which also includes defending her Olympic title in Paris

Do you feel like the LPGA is getting enough attention as it should compared with other women’s sports?

I think what’s holding it back is that we’re not on prime time TV obviously all the time like the men are. I think that’s where you get the most viewership.

But it is trending in the right direction. And a lot of people, if you give them a finger, they want the whole hand, they want the whole arm. So you have to go a step at a time.

And I think that we are making the right steps forward as a Tour. But obviously being there, you would like it to progress maybe faster. But I think it’s all about putting it in the right spot and on the right platform, and that’s, honestly, prime time TV.

Do you feel as though you have an extra obligation or anything to try to lift the women’s game outside of our bubble and into the mainstream?

I feel like for me, the way that I promote the game is just the way I am. I’m very true to myself. I’m never going to do something I’m not really comfortable with. Obviously I love seeing all the kids and I love promoting the game.

I mean, there is nothing more that I enjoy more. I’m always going to stay true to myself, and hopefully that way do I promote the game.

Winning is obviously a lot of fun. You’ve been doing a lot of that recently. You look like you’re having so much more fun on the golf course. What’s been that key to kind of letting yourself go and letting yourself play loose just have fun out there?

Honestly, having a really great team around me, having really great people, that really helps. I’ve always said that staying in my own little bubble really, really helps me.

Not getting too distracted or lost in something that isn’t really what I want to be lost in. There is always temptations when it comes to a lot.

So I have a really great team around me that keeps me really grounded, and they know me so well that I can say anything to them. Even through hard situations, they know what to tell me to make me bounce back.

How aware of that dynamic are you, and therefore how aware are you of what you’re achieving right now?

Yeah, in 2021 I won’t on a run, and then in 2022 and 2023 golf really humbled me. I think they’re sports; there are ups and downs.

Every athlete goes through the rollercoaster, and that is what makes the sport so great. You mature and grow so much and learn more about yourself.

You never take these weeks for granted. You always try to appreciate and become very grateful for them. It makes just all the hard work so worth it.

But I think I’ve learned so much about myself even through the losses.

To hit the reset button. What advice has he given you in this unique stretch in your career?

Just to enjoy every second of it. Careers go by really fast and there are so many highs and lows in a career. To just be grateful about it all and very humble.

You mentioned staying grounded by being around your team, them keeping you in the present moment. This is possibly a once-in-a- lifetime opportunity. What is that challenge like to put that to the side and really try your best not to think about it?

I don’t know. I think obviously I’m so grateful and happy to be in this position that I could pull off four wins in a row. I feel like in sports you’re always looking ahead, what’s next, instead of like reminiscing on what has happened.

So, again, I’m so grateful for my team that we all kind of like live in our own bubble that we take it a shot at a time. Yeah, that’s what I’m going to be thinking about. I think added pressure isn’t always a good thing.

Do you remember at what point in time in your career that focus on the present really clicked into place for you?

I was actually talking — before my first-ever LPGA win I was talking with Hollis Stacy on the green at Concession. I was out there putting, doing a drill, and she always comes up to me when she sees me out there. She was just — I was talking to her about like obviously that I haven’t won on the LPGA Tour.

She just said, when the time is right. So I just put that in my yardage book that week that I won in Taiwan at Swinging Skirts. I said, when the time is right it’ll happen.

That made me very present and that made me think more of golf is a shot at a time, not to get too ahead of myself, and when the time is right it’ll happen because I put in the work.

I wanted to know coming from your first major win, whether that being in middle school or high school, or even the harder individual, how has your game improved the most, whether that be physical or mental?

I think overall everything has to improve when it comes to my body. Obviously over the past couple years I’ve had issues with injuries, so making sure that my body is good with all the travel.

And mentally I think the most I’ve learned myself is when I play in under-pressure situations. So being in contention and how to handle those situations. Because even though a lot of the people may not seem that I — that I show it, I definitely feel all the emotions internally.

So knowing how to process those emotions and not have to come out negatively. I learned a lot about myself through those situations.

What does history and your place in it, what does that mean to you in this game?

I feel like that’s a question that I haven’t really thought about too much.

I like to live in the present, so I don’t let myself think about that too much. I feel like that just comes with a little bit more added pressure.

Obviously like there is nothing better to me than seeing all the little kids come out and saying that I inspire them to pick up a golf club or I’m their favourite golfer. There is no better feeling than that. Hopefully I do get to inspire the next generation with the love that I have for the game and hopefully they have it too.

But when it comes to the history, I feel like I’m so caught up in being present that I haven’t thought about that too much.

Having played on the Epson Tour in 2016, how impressed are you with the girls out there now and how ready they are to come out here and compete?

I’m so grateful for my time on the Epson Tour. Obviously back in the day it was Symetra. It shaped me to be the player I am today. I would recommend it to everyone. There is just — it was a great experience for me. I was in between going to college for a year or playing on the Epson Tour for a year.

I’m so glad I took that route. I learned what it was like to play week in and week out and not seeing my coach after one tournament where.

I think that really, really helped me to be the player I am today. I know the year that I was out there I was out there with Ally, I was out there with Madelene. Like the scores doubled under par. I mean, the competition that year was so, so good.

I know every year the competition out there is getting better and better.

It’s great to see sponsors support the Epson Tour and raising the prize money, because those girls are good and it’s a great way to pave their way on to the LPGA.

What did a typical workout look like during that period?

Just a lot of strengthening in areas that — I don’t want to train like a golfer, I want to train like an athlete. Thankfully my team and I, we all have the same outlook on it. Just honestly, just a full body strengthening session.

I have a lot of consistency in my life. I see the same people every single day. I do the same stuff every single day. I try to stay in my own little bubble, and I feel like mentally that’s the best thing that you can do for your mental and physical health, is stay in a routine.

When you’re on a streak like this, are you aware of how well you’re playing or are you just in the moment just facing the next hole being one hole at time?

I’m just trying to stay very much so in the moment. I feel like with sports and golf in general, you have so much time to think, so I think that staying in the moment is something that I try really hard to focus on.

But obviously with that being said, I’m super proud of the events that I’ve played and the hard work that I’ve put in and the amount of work my team and I have put in to get those victories.

Do you have any concern that you’re peaking before the majors or before the Olympics?

I always try to stay very present. I don’t try to change my attitude for the majors. Just another regular LPGA tournament. The fields are usually just as strong in these events as in the majors. You see pretty much the same girls every week.

You play on amazing golf courses. Getting to represent the USA has always been a huge honour. Every time I’ve done it I’ve been super proud of doing it.

You don’t just play for yourself, you play for your country. Getting to do that on many stage as Solheim Cup, International Crown, and the Olympics, has been so much fun. Hopefully I will get the opportunity to do that again.

There is talk of a mixed event coming to the Olympics. Is that something you thought about, and how do you feel a mixed event on that stage could help the game?

I’ve heard about it. I think I read about it mainly on social. I think it would be really good for the game of golf. I don’t know how logistically they would handle it.

I would say since the Olympics happens every four years you don’t want it to be just like a regular event in a sense.

You want it to be something different. So I think that would be really fun, if there would be a team aspect involved as well as the individual.

So you would you like to see some different formats introduced to golf work?

I think there’s definitely been more noise in the past couple years regarding doing a team event with men and women. I think that would be a lot of fun. I would be a huge advocate for sure.

I think that’s a great way to grow the game and for us to also have a platform to show the men and everyone that’s watching that we’re just as good.

And I think that for the event to come together, that’s out of my hands, but I know that anyone that you talk to, all the players are big advocates for it.

WHAT’S IN NELLY’S BAG

DRIVER: TaylorMade Qi10 Max (10.5°)

FAIRWAY WOODS: TaylorMade Stealth 2 3-wood (15°), TaylorMade Stealth 2 7-wood (21°)

IRONS: TaylorMade P·770 (5), TaylorMade P·7MC (6-PW)

WEDGES: TaylorMade Milled Grind 4 (50° SB, 54° SB)

PUTTER: Scotty Cameron Special Select Squareback 2 Prototype

BALL: TaylorMade TP5x

 

 

The post INTERVIEW: NELLY KORDA, WORLD NO.1 appeared first on Golf News.

It means the world to me to be able to play on the Solheim Cup. I know every year that I know it’s that year playing it’s my No. 1 goal to be on that team to be able to represent my country. It’s my favorite event by far. There’s nothing like waking up, putting country’s colors on, and going to represent and be alongside a team at that.

Stacy’s not using the pod system this year, your impressions on the new strategy and what your thoughts are since you’ve all played under the pod system before?

Yeah, I agree. Not that the pod system was a bad thing by any means, but I think Stacy has a great strategy in mind and just all keeping us together and not really breaking us apart. We all get along very well and we know each other’s games well too, so that always helps. But I definitely believe that Stacy knows what she’s doing, so we’re excited for the week.

Stacy said that while making your picks, that the team was going to rely on you two heavily for your experience. Does it change your mindset at all for the week coming into that with that new leadership role and what’s it like to embrace that and have it for this week, especially having five rookies on the team?

I believe that we’re all leaders in our own way. We come into this week and we bring a strength of ours to the whole team and the captains and assistant captains. It’s not somebody overpowering the other. It’s all about just coming together as a team.

Lexi, 72 holes stroke play is obviously a different beast to match play. I know you probably haven’t been playing as well as you might like, but just wondering how does that change your mindset going into this? Does it ease the pressure a little bit knowing that it’s match play and a bad hole is just one hole or is it more responsibility having to maybe try not to let down your partner or support your partner?

Well, I don’t think match play has anything to do with it. Match play, stroke play, you still have to play your game and golf. But, yeah, might not have been the year that I wanted, but this is this week. I’m not focusing on the past. I’m here with my team this week and going to represent my best.

This is the first time we’ve really had statistics to kind of look at when y’all are building up your partnerships?

It’s something I guess that we haven’t really done in the past. I think it’s a great source for us that we’ve been able to really look on in being able to team up our matches. Not that we’ve done that, but we kind of have a really a better idea about it. So I think it’s definitely a little bit of an advantage, for sure. We’re pairing up the best that we can with whoever we’re paired with.

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