At the first leg of the PGA Tour playoffs, Scottie Scheffler made headlines when longtime caddie Ted Scott took a leave due to a “family emergency” in Louisiana during the FedEx St. Jude Championship final round. Following that, Scheffler tapped Tour chaplain Brad Payne – a close friend and president of the College Golf Fellowship – to step in as caddie. Now, heading into the second leg of the playoffs, there’s buzz about a possible repeat of that Memphis moment.

As per Andy Roberts of GolfMagic, Scottie Scheffler will be without his longtime caddie, Ted Scott, again this week. Scott is “continuing to attend to a private family matter,” says the report. This time, however, instead of Payne, Mike Cromie, PGA Tour pro Chris Kirk’s caddie, will be carrying Scheffler’s bag.

Updating about the same, Roberts’ statement reads, “Just had it confirmed from a PGA Tour spokesperson that Ted Scott will still not be on the bag for Scottie Scheffler at the BMW Championship ❌ Scheffler will have Chris Kirk’s caddie Mike Cromie on the bag. Kirk missed out on the BMW after finishing 51st in the FedEx Cup race.” 

After finishing just outside the top 50 in the FedEx Cup standings, an agonizingly close 51st place, Chris Kirk is allowing his caddie, Mike Cromie, to step in and caddie for Scottie Scheffler at the BMW Championship. Cromie, who has been on Kirk’s bag since 2020, brings solid experience not only as a longtime caddie but also as a former college golfer at the University of Georgia.

That doesn’t mean this news isn’t quite shocking. After all, Scott has been present for all of Scheffler’s 17 PGA Tour wins, Olympic gold medal, and three major championships. On the other hand, it still remains to be seen if Scott will be absent for the TOUR Championship as well, as Scheffler bids to become the first golfer in history to defend a FedExCup title.

However, there is one instance, though, when Scottie Scheffler has had to rely on a fill-in caddie during a major event. At the 2024 PGA Championship at Valhalla, Brad Payne stepped in as a substitute for Scheffler during the third round when his regular caddie, Ted Scott, left to attend his daughter’s high school graduation. On the other hand, and despite Scott’s absence from his bag, Scheffler’s Memphis run wasn’t bad. In fact, it was historic.

Scottie Scheffler added a new record up his sleeve at Memphis

Scottie Scheffler’s 2025 season has been a spectacle. Heading into the FedEx St. Jude Championship’s final round, a win seemed like a lock for his 18th PGA Tour title, but Justin Rose took the trophy. Scheffler finished one shot back at 15-under par despite not playing his A-game. Sunday got off to a weird start with Brad Payne filling in for Ted Scott as caddie, and Scheffler made a few mistakes that cost him.

Despite no win, Scheffler tied a 52-year-old PGA Tour record held by Tom Weiskopf with his third-place finish at St. Jude. In an official update regarding the same, the PGA Tour said in an X post, “Scottie Scheffler has finished in the top-eight in each of his last 12 TOUR start. The last person to accomplish that was Tom Weiskopf 52 years ago.” 

But is that really a surprise? He’s been unstoppable, finishing top 8 in his last 12 PGA Tour tournaments. Since Rory McIlroy‘s Masters win in April, nobody’s matched Scheffler’s consistency. He’s got four wins (two majors), and his stats are absurd for a 29-year-old: 17 events played with 4 wins, 9 top-5s, 14 top-10s, 17 top-25s, and zero missed cuts.

Scheffler’s had stretches where he’s looked basically untouchable. With this kind of form, he’s a force to be reckoned with in the rest of the playoffs. So, even with Ted Scott out of his bag once again, he is someone you shouldn’t take lightly. At all.