2009’s summer saw 13-year-old Scottie Scheffler chasing a 16-year-old golfing star, Jordan Spieth, in the final round of the Byron Nelson Junior Championship. Spieth dominated the tournament, firing a final round 62 at Lakewood Country Club to win by 11 shots. Even back then, Spieth showed his trademark competitive spirit, telling his caddie not to mention his score until he had about two holes left, so he wouldn’t get distracted by thinking about his potential score. Spieth’s focus paid off, as he went on an unconscious run of birdies, securing his second of three straight victories in the prestigious tournament.

And now Scheffler says he doesn’t remember much of it. Scottie Scheffler took a walk down memory lane, recalling the same game with Jordan Spieth and Will Zalatoris. Scheffler admits that his long-term memory isn’t the best, but he does remember playing with Spieth and Zalatoris in various tournaments when they were young. “I was going to say, as far as my long-term memory goes, it’s shockingly bad. I do have some recollections of playing with those guys. Will and I were always the same age. So we played in tons of tournaments against each other,” Scheffler shared on the latest presser at the CJ CUP Byron Nelson.

Scheffler had finished far behind Spieth but still impressed with a final round 72, keeping pace with competitors who were several years older than him. A 12-year-old Will Zalatoris, also participated in the tournament, and Spieth accurately predicted big things for both Scheffler and Zalatoris. Today, Spieth and Scheffler have combined for five major championships, while Zalatoris has racked up seven top-10 finishes in majors.

“He was a guy we both looked up to and wanted to emulate on the course. It’s pretty wild to have three guys from the same area to have the success I think that we’ve had. A lot of that is just the competition. We were always looking at Jordan because he was a little bit older, a little bit better than us”, Scheffler said speaking of Spieth.

Despite his struggles back then, Scheffler’s experience competing against top-notch players like Spieth and Zalatoris undoubtedly contributed to his growth and development as a golfer and the golfer agrees. “It’s really kind of fun to look back on the journey we’ve been on, and being able to live out our dream and play the PGA TOUR is pretty cool.” Well, the friendship and camaraderie between the golfers still shows to date.

The Scheffler-Spieth connection

Jordan Spieth and Scottie Scheffler, both renowned golfers from Dallas, have a long-standing connection that goes back years. Spieth has often spoken highly of Scheffler’s incredible talent, even recalling their early days competing against each other. “I remember playing against him way back… I was probably 12 or 13 years old and he was 9 or 10. He was already a stud and he was beating me back then when he was 9 or 10. He’s an incredible talent.” Spieth’s admiration for Scheffler’s skills is evident, and he has compared Scheffler’s ball-striking abilities to those of Tiger Woods.

Spieth has also expressed his inspiration drawn from Scheffler’s recent successes, saying, “Like, I am inspired by what he is doing. It makes me want to go out and get better.” Despite struggling with a wrist issue this season, Spieth looks up to Scheffler’s achievements, which have seen him claim multiple titles, including the Travelers Championship and the Masters. The two golfers will tee off together at The Open, providing another opportunity for Spieth to draw inspiration from Scheffler’s remarkable form. Spieth even jokingly mentioned that Scheffler is “a better person than he is a player,” highlighting the respect and admiration he has for his fellow golfer. Do you remember any amazing Scheffler-Spieth moments? Let us know in the comment section below!