Blake Davis
Scottie Scheffler answered almost every question asked of him in 2024. Could he play well enough to start winning tournaments? Yes. Would he win another major championship? Yes. Would he play and compete the week after his Masters triumph? Yes. Could he balance his personal and professional life with a new child on the way? Yes.
This week at the 2024 PGA Championship, he took two more. How will he compete after being arrested and released after chaotic traffic incident before Friday’s second round? Will he also be able to play on Saturday without his usual caddy missing from his bag for 18 holes?
Scheffler responded in the affirmative, breaking out of jail to post a 5-under 66 on Friday and move up the leaderboard. As for the latter? Well, it’s a bit unknown.
Whether it was the caddy change, accumulated exhaustion from his chaotic Friday, or (probably) a combination of the two, Scheffler finished Change Day with a 74. Shooting 3 over, he ended a streak in which he scored par or better . 41 consecutive rounds since August 26, 2023.
“I definitely wasn’t feeling good today, that’s for sure,” Scheffler told CBS’ Amanda Balionis after the round. “Yesterday it happened, and I did my best to recover from it, and come out here and compete today. I did a great job yesterday of going out and competing, enjoying the adrenaline. This morning was definitely not my usual routine for a round, if that it makes sense…. I haven’t been able to do that, which is very frustrating, but I’ll come back and try again tomorrow.
Steve Stricker set the PGA Tour record with 55 rounds last year, surpassing Tiger Woods’ achievement of 53 consecutive rounds earlier in his career.
Scheffler revealed on Tuesday that his tailgater since late 2021, Ted Scott, would not be carrying his clubs around the par-71 Valhalla Golf Club on Saturday as Scott would instead attend his daughter’s high school graduation . Scott flew in from Louisville on Friday night after the second shift with a plan to celebrate his daughter’s achievement on Saturday before returning sometime in the evening to resume his duties for the final shift on Sunday.
“This is something we’ve talked about since the beginning of our relationship: family always comes first, and it’s the same thing for me and my caddy,” Scheffler explained. “It was a very easy decision. He told me earlier this year that this was the date, so I got a backup caddy. One of my friends will carry the bag on Saturday, and then Ted will be back for the Sunday round.”
Replacing Scott, Brad Payne took over as Scheffler’s right-hand man in the third round. Payne currently serves as a chaplain for the PGA Tour after having played college golf at Pepperdine University.
“He’s one of my older friends who travels here week after week,” Scheffler said. “He’s the Tour chaplain. His name is Brad, and he’ll be my caddy on Saturday. I trust him to clear a bunker more than I trust my friends.”
