The 2nd Cut Newsletter: THE SCOTTIE EDITION #39

Scottie’s Win, Scottie vs Tiger, Scottie Stats, Scottie Poll

Mar 20, 2024

“I hit my tee ball and this guy yells out, 'Congrats on being No. 1 Scottie. 11 more years to go!’” - Scottie Scheffler

📰 THE SCOTTIE EDITION #39 📰

Welcome back to The 2nd Cut Newsletter!

ICYMI, check out last week’s Deep Dive: Newsletter Edition #38

I’m biased, but Edition #38 is one of my favorites in recent memory. It has a ton of great info, pods, videos, and insights. If you missed it, take a 30-second scan to see if anything piques your interest.

📫 In today’s Newsletter: Scottie’s Win, Scottie vs Tiger, Scottie Stats, Scottie POLL

This newsletter is designed to provide valuable insights, tips, and ideas from around the internet to improve your golf game.

What you get:

1 - Newsletter every Wednesday
1 - Deep dive every Friday

Scottie Scheffler Wins THE PLAYERS (again)

Scottie Scheffler made history by becoming the first player to clinch back-to-back victories at the Player’s Championship. This remarkable feat follows his dominant win at The Arnold Palmer Invitational just a week prior.

What made this win even more mind-blowing was how he did it. On Friday and Saturday, Scottie’s neck was giving him fits. He even got a mid-round neck massage in hopes of loosening things up. His swing speed dropped, which led to losing distance and some awkward-looking swings, even for Scottie. At one point in the 3rd round, Scottie was nine strokes off the lead! But he managed to grind out a respectable round to give himself a chance on Sunday, which he dominated by shooting an -8, 64, cementing the win.

Scottie vs Tiger?

At just 27 years old, Scottie Scheffler has emerged as the dominant force in golf, leaving the competition trailing far behind. IMO it's a level of greatness we haven't seen since Tiger Woods.

Before jumping to conclusions, let me clarify—I'm not suggesting that Scheffler is anywhere near Tiger at this point. He’s not. However, he's the first player who has sparked such conversation, maybe since an early Rory McIlroy?

While we've witnessed periods of dominance from the likes of Jordan Spieth, Brooks Koepka, Jon Rahm, Jason Day, Dustin Johnson, and Rory McIlroy, Scheffler's rise feels distinct and sustainable. Shots gained data backs this up. (check out the Stats of the Week section for more context)

Of course, anything can happen in golf, and Scheffler still has much to prove, particularly in Major championships, before he can rightfully claim the throne of greatest since Tiger. Nonetheless, it's undeniable that we're witnessing a truly generational talent entering his prime.

This is what makes watching sports fun, and I’m excited to see what the next 1, 5, 10 years bring. Enjoy it.

🐦 Tweets of the Week 🐦

A mindblowing graphic that says it all. Scottie himself said in the interview with LIVE FROM:

"Anytime you can be compared to Tiger I think is really special, but, I mean, the guy stands alone I think in our game. He really does. This is my eighth tournament win now out here, I've tied him in Players Championships. Outside of that, I got 14 more majors and 70-some PGA Tour events to catch up. So, I think I'm going to stick to my routine and just continue to plot along, try and stay as even keeled as I can.”

📺 💻 T2C Media 📺 💻

This article by Kyle Porter does a good job of putting Scottie’s career into context compared to the players we mentioned earlier. Check out the full piece here. Link

“The part that intrigues me is that, stylistically, Scheffler is perhaps the most similar to Woods of these five. They both play disciplined, committed golf that some label boring. Fairways and greens. Tiger was a better putter (it truly is not fair that in addition to his other gifts, Tiger was one of the great putters of all time), but in terms of how methodically they go about dissecting a tournament and its field? It's certainly not as exciting as Rory or probably even D.J., but it is often less chaotic, which makes it more replicable.”

I like this quote and agree with Kyle. Scottie’s conservative style of play and even keel demeanor are assets that should make this run more sustainable.

“Technically speaking, Scottie's best is the best we've seen since Tiger. Whether that makes him the best player since Tiger is a different question. He's not the most accomplished. That would be McIlroy or Koepka. But, the trajectory is good. Trajectories are about as worthless as the paper they're printed on, though. All that matters is what actually happens.”

Below is the post-round interview with Scottie with the LIVE FROM crew. It’s an interesting look into what Scottie was thinking during the round, before certain shots, and how he looks at success and golf in general. The way Scottie handles himself in this is a big part of why I think he will continue his success for a long time.

It’s about 11 minutes and well worth the watch.