NAPA, Calif. (AP) 鈥 Scottie Scheffler, the No. 1 player in golf, still remembers the time he was last.
The Ryder Cup being next on the horizon serves as yet another reminder of how quickly his absurd level of dominance came together. The day Scheffler arrived in Napa was the four-year anniversary of him being for his first Ryder Cup.
He was at No. 21 in the world with 13 other Americans ahead of him. He had yet to win on the PGA Tour. Ryder Cup captain Steve Stricker was on the phone.
鈥淚 think it was fairly obvious I was probably the last guy on the team,鈥 Scheffler said. “I remember getting the phone call. I didn鈥檛 know if he was going to call me and give me really bad news or really good news. It鈥檚 kind of weird preparing for something you don鈥檛 know if it鈥檚 going to be amazing or if it鈥檚 just going to absolutely break your heart.
鈥淏ut it was a great phone call,鈥 he said. 鈥淚 was very emotional.鈥
It was a 鈥 a 19-9 win, their largest margin of victory over Europe 鈥 and for Scheffler. He was sent out early in the third singles match to play Jon Rahm, the No. 1 player in the world.
After four holes, Scheffler had four birdies and a 4-up lead. The rout was on. To this day, Scheffler still carries the yardage book cover from that Ryder Cup.
Stricker said the final pick came down to Scheffler, Sam Burns and Patrick Reed, who had been hospitalized for five days with pneumonia during the last two qualifying events, and whose criticism of his captain and teammates after the Paris loss in 2018 didn’t help his cause.
Stricker recalled being impressed when he was paired with Scheffler for the final round of the PGA Championship at Kiawah Island. He remembered how Scheffler mowed down in succession Ian Poulter, Rahm and Matt Kuchar to reach the final of the Match Play. And he asked the six automatic qualifiers to weigh in. The scales kept tilting toward Scheffler.
鈥淚t鈥檚 super cool,鈥 Stricker said of where Scheffler was then and where he is now. 鈥淎nd to see him carry that yardage book cover, that tells you right there what it means to him, what it did for his confidence, the belief in himself and all that.
鈥淭aking down Jon Rahm on Sunday, I鈥檝e got to believe all that played a part in what he鈥檚 doing now,鈥 he said. 鈥淲e all need that moment where we get that boost of confidence.鈥
That seems like a lot longer than four years ago.
Scheffler, one of the ringleaders in getting the Ryder Cup team to Silverado leading up to next week’s matches at Bethpage Black on New York鈥檚 Long Island,
It was a unique week with all but two of the Ryder Cup players playing in a sleepy tournament among the vineyards in September. The Procore Championship had its strongest field and biggest crowd. And then the tournament started, and it was business as usual for Scheffler.
He became only the fifth player in the last 75 years to have back-to-back seasons of at least six victories. The others were Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer and Sam Snead.
And while his , the numbers allow for comparisons with Woods.
Here’s another landmark Scheffler achieved in Napa 鈥 it took him three years, seven months and one day to go from his first PGA Tour title to his 19th. That’s the shortest time in PGA Tour history (Woods took three years, seven months and 22 days).
The Ryder Cup undoubtedly played a role in this 鈥 both of them for Scheffler, good and bad.
Scheffler, who doesn’t often spend a lot of time looking back or ahead, also shared memories from the last Ryder Cup at Marco Simone. They weren’t happy ones.
Scheffler and Brooks Koepka were on the losing end of the most lopsided 18-hole match in Ryder Cup history, 9 and 7 to Viktor Hovland and Ludvig Aberg in foursomes. Scheffler was in tears as he watched from the sidelines that afternoon.
In a rematch with Rahm in singles, Scheffler lost a 1-up lead when he chipped through the back of the green and Rahm hit a 90-foot eagle putt to within inches for birdie and the halve.
鈥淭he last Ryder Cup did not go how I anticipated it would go,鈥 Scheffler said. 鈥淚 was fired up and excited to get home and practice, and I think my results since then have proven how much work that I put into my game and to get to the point where I am now.鈥
He won nine times that next year, including a Masters green jacket and Olympic gold medal. Even after being sidelined two months when he punctured his hand trying to cut ravioli with a wine glass, he won two majors and four other titles this year.
What will the next Ryder Cup bring?
For Scheffler, it has always been about preparation, being able to stand on the first tee knowing he didn’t take any shortcuts in having done all that he could to be ready. That was his regret from Marco Simone, and one reason he wanted to compete ahead of Bethpage Black.
鈥淲e’re all excited to get there to Bethpage and start the tournament,鈥 he said. 鈥淲e鈥檝e got three days to see who鈥檚 the better team and it鈥檚 going to be a good battle.鈥
For all the recent comparisons with Woods, this is one area Scheffler would do well to avoid.
Woods played on only one winning Ryder Cup team.
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