World number one Scheffler sets sights on RBC Heritage

MIAMI:

Scottie Scheffler took some time to celebrate winning his second Masters title on Sunday, but the American world number one is ready to bend again at the RBC Heritage in South Carolina.
Scheffler, a known no-show on the course, flew home from Augusta National, checked in with his pregnant wife Meredith and donned his green Masters jacket to meet friends at a Dallas bar.
“I took some pictures, had a drink and then went home and went to bed,” Scheffler said Wednesday, estimating he spent all of 20 minutes at the bar.
He is now at Harbor Town Golf Links in Hilton Head, where he will look to add to his three titles in 2024.
Scheffler, who hasn’t played a round since August, admitted he was feeling tired but didn’t let that affect his expectations for the elite PGA Tour Signature event, which features eight of the top 10 players in people.
“I left my pregnant wife at home to come here and play in a golf tournament. I’m here to play and hopefully play well,” Scheffler said. “I’m not just here for fun.”
That’s a depressing thought for the rest of the field.
US Open champion Wyndham Clark said Scheffler’s season — including wins over Clark at Bay Hill and the Players Championship — was enough to make him reevaluate what he was doing.
“I think everyone looks at themselves in the mirror and says, ‘What do I need to be better at?’
“Because you feel like you’re playing good golf and you’re not beating him.”
Max Homma, who was among those who challenged Scheffler at the Masters before he grabbed a share of third place, noted that “the gap seems to be pretty wide” between Scheffler and everyone else.
“He went first, first, second, first. Three of these events are the best fields we have,” Homa said. “I think we’ve seen people do that over the years to excellence for a little while.
“Looks like his was kept a little longer than I can remember by a lot of people.”
Ludwig Aberg, who finished second to Scheffler, was still absorbing lessons from his first major start at Augusta.
“You don’t really know what it’s going to be like to play your first big role until you actually play it,” said the Swede. “I felt like we handled it really well and it makes us really excited for what’s next.”
He’ll continue to focus on improving his game — and try not to worry about what Scheffler might do next.
“I’m always trying to make sure the things I’m working on are going in the right direction,” Aberg said. “There’s nothing I can do about Scotty. He’s an incredible player and person and I have so much respect for him.
“I think it’s good to have him here because he pushes everybody else to be a little bit better.”