In 2018, Scottie Scheffler made his professional debut at TPC Southwind. He made the cut and tied for 43rd. Eight years later, he lifted the FedEx St. Jude Championship trophy with an eight-stroke lead over Si Woo Kim. Following the win, speaking with Amanda Balionis, he reflected on his journey and gave critical advice to young and high school golfers on what they should focus on.
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“I feel like one of the things that I’m always trying to work on is just continuing to get the most out of each day. Just be where my feet are. I don’t want to be at the golf course thinking about anything else other than my practice. I don’t want to be at home wishing I could have done more practice. I want to be at home with my kids and my wife. And I feel like that’s something I’m always trying to work on, just trying to be present and get the most out of each day.”
Scheffler’s stoicism is no accident. He has built five straight seasons of multiple wins by staying locked into each day, not the leaderboard. This year alone, that meant carrying a season of five runner-up finishes and two wins. Although he was competitive, the near misses were an immense weight. Yet he converted a 54-hole lead into a title, bagging his 21st PGA Tour title.
Interestingly, Scheffler’s run at TPC Southwind has many more layers. He first played the course as an amateur in 2014, then returned in 2018 for his professional debut, tying for 43rd. He has since played TPC Southwind nearly every year, but has never won the championship.
Despite that, Scheffler left no room for a repeat. He opened his weekend with a 68, then tied the TPC Southwind course record with a 61 in Round 2. He made five straight birdies to start and 11 for the round. A 68 in Round 3 further kept his lead intact and hard to chase. On Sunday, he was eight shots clear of Kim, the largest margin, and sealed his win at 17 under.
Ending his nearly seven-month drought, he now locks up the FedEx Cup points heading into the Tour Championship, confirming his third straight Presidents Cup appearance next month in Medinah.