Scottie Scheffler may not have been a fan of his caddie Ted Scott’s new mustache ahead of the FedEx St. Jude Championship, but he certainly had little to complain about by Sunday. Scott played a key role in helping the New Jersey native secure the victory, and the PGA Tour’s released footage shows that.
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A day after the season-ending final round, the Tour shared the footage of a conversation between the two that helped the World No. 1 settle on the winning approach.
“Is it a touch off the left still?” Scheffler asked before taking his approach shot at the par-5 18th hole.
“Yeah, it is,” Scott responded. “Play it pretty straight in, though. Looks like this flag’s at the top here, your best indicator.”
Moments later, the crowd erupted, causing Scheffler’s focus to waver. But Scott was right there.
“Alright, get settled back in, buddy,” Scott said. “135, right on that 1.”
Scheffler then questioned whether he should club down if he expected the shot to come up short or lose distance. He was weighing whether the conditions warranted taking one less club before committing to the approach.
Scheffler asked, “If it dies, is it one [club] less?”
Ted Scott, however, urged him to stick with their original club selection. Pointing to the ponds, range flags, and other visual indicators.
“If it dies, but I mean, the ponds, flags on the range, the ones on top, everything’s indicating that it’s this shot,” Scott said. “Play in the numbers, this will put you right on it.”
The World No. 1, of course, finished the hole to secure a three-shot victory over Victor Holvland. And the importance Scott’s advice played in his third win of the season wasn’t lost on him. On Sunday, during the press conference, he emphasized the importance of being able to “voice” his frustrations to Scott during difficult moments on the course.
Scheffler said that his caddie is “a lot more than just a caddie” who provides numbers. He said that Scott is someone who is truly “in those moments” with him. Beyond his role inside the ropes, Scheffler considers Scott “a tremendous asset as a friend and as a partner” on the course.
The pair began working together in November 2021 after Scott had been considering hanging up his gloves, having worked with Bubba Watson for 15 years. That decision led to one of the more successful partnerships in golf today. Since they started working together, Scheffler has won four majors, two FedEx Cups, and 20 PGA Tour titles.
While Scott’s input helped Scheffler finish, the momentum had already shifted in his favor a few holes before.
Scottie Scheffler reveals exact moment the momentum shifted in his favor
Scheffler admitted that a costly bogey on the 14th hole could have disrupted his charge. Instead, he responded with one of the most important shots of his final round at East Lake. The world No. 1 had just birdied the 13th before dropping a shot on the following hole, leaving him with a crucial decision on the 15th tee.
“You know, I birdied 13 then bogeyed 14, and I’m standing on 15 tee, and there’s not a shot that’s more important than that, I think, on the golf course,” Scheffler said after his victory.
The 15th presented significant danger, particularly because a missed green could send a player to the drop zone.
“There are no water hazards, and all of a sudden, you’ve got a shot that’s essentially worth two, because if you miss the green, you’re going to the drop zone, hitting three,” he explained.
Scheffler then delivered exactly what he needed, flushing a six-iron toward the pin.
“I mean, I just flushed a six-iron. I thought I hit it to a foot,” he said.
Although the shot did not quite finish as close as he expected, it gave Scheffler a good birdie opportunity and, more importantly, restored his momentum.
“I really hit it exactly how I wanted to,” he added, calling it “a really good momentum for me going into the last few holes.”
Clearly, a lot went into winning the Tour Championship. While his decision changed the momentum in the last round, Ted Scott helped him finish the round in the best way possible.