When Workforce USA final celebrated Ryder Cup success, Scottie Scheffler held a really completely different position to the expectation he faces on this 12 months’s contest at Bethpage Black.
Scheffler has gained 19 PGA Tour titles – together with 4 majors – over the previous 4 seasons, having beforehand used the Ryder Cup as a springboard to develop into the dominant power within the males’s recreation.
He made his Ryder Cup debut throughout the USA’ record-breaking 2021 victory at Whistling Straits, the place he was handed a captain’s choose regardless of – at that stage – sitting outdoors the world’s prime 20 and having by no means gained on the PGA Tour.
“I feel it was pretty apparent I used to be most likely the final man on the workforce,” Scheffler admitted forward of this 12 months’s contest, stay from September 26-28 on Sky Sports activities. “I hadn’t gained on Tour, I used to be the youngest member of the workforce and I bear in mind getting the telephone name.
“I did not know if he [Steve Stricker, captain] was going to name me and provides me actually unhealthy information or actually excellent news. It is bizarre getting ready for one thing you do not know if it is going to be superb or if it is simply going to utterly break your coronary heart. Nevertheless it was an incredible telephone name – I used to be very emotional.”
Scheffler took full benefit of his rookie look for Workforce USA, forming an unbeaten fourballs partnership with Bryson DeChambeau earlier than thrashing the then world No 1 Jon Rahm – who had been unbeaten within the first two days – within the Sunday singles.
These 2.5 factors from three matches helped them safe a 19-9 win over Europe, the largest victory margin within the fashionable period, with Scheffler taking the plaudits for his position in regaining the trophy for Workforce USA, forward of him having fun with particular person success within the years to come back.
A take a look at better of the motion from the ultimate day of the 2021 Ryder Cup, the place Workforce USA closed out a document victory
Scheffler made his PGA Tour breakthrough title the next February and gained three of his subsequent 5 occasions – together with a maiden main title at The Masters, quickly pushing him to world No 1 and making him the famous person of the American workforce heading into the following Ryder Cup.
He didn’t stay as much as his pre-event billing in Rome, returning only one level from his 4 matches in Workforce USA’s 16.5-11.5 defeat, the place he was diminished to tears for his record-breaking 9&7 loss alongside Brooks Koepka to Viktor Hovland and Ludvig Åberg within the Saturday foursomes.
Scottie Scheffler was in tears after he and Brooks Koepka suffered a document 9&7 loss to Ludvig Åberg and Viktor Hovland
“I feel anytime you may have robust losses, it could possibly go one among two methods,” Scheffler admitted. “It may be one thing that you need to use for one thing good, or it could possibly form of break you down.
“Over time, taking part in skilled golf, you are going to have nice wins and you are going to have nice losses. Once I look again on the 2023 Ryder Cup, I feel I halved two matches and misplaced two, so I left there with out successful a single match and that damage.
“It damage a little bit bit as a result of I did not really feel like I used to be as ready as I might have been. So going into this [2025] Ryder Cup, I’ve put numerous work into my recreation during the last couple years to prepare and to go play this occasion.”
Scottie Scheffler and Brooks Koepka have been overwhelmed 9&7 by Viktor Hovland and Ludvig Åberg within the Saturday foursomes on the Ryder Cup in Rome, a document defeat
Scheffler has been ever-present as world No 1 since that Ryder Cup loss, successful 9 occasions worldwide the next season and claiming two main titles – amongst 5 PGA Tour titles – to date this 12 months.
The 29-year-old will look to take his continued constant brilliance into the Ryder Cup, the place captain Keegan Bradley is assured his ‘generational expertise’ can embrace the strain to carry out for Workforce USA.
“While you’re the perfect participant on their workforce, while you’re Rory [McIlroy] otherwise you’re Tiger [Woods] or Phil [Mickelson] or whoever, you carry an enormous burden in your workforce,” Bradley mentioned. “I feel that occurs with Michael Jordan, Tom Brady.
Keegan Bradley has insisted he ‘does not care’ about how Workforce Europe are getting ready for the Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black
“These guys are constructed for it, and I feel that they, in a sick method, they sit up for it. They need that strain – and never everybody desires that. Folks can say they do, however not everybody desires it.
“Scottie, I feel he would hope that it comes right down to him in singles. I guess he like goals about it. That form of separates Scottie from the remainder of the blokes.”
Bradley has publicly praised the four-time main champion’s willingness “to do actually no matter it takes for us to win the Ryder Cup,” and his significance within the workforce room, though Scheffler has performed down having any extra duty.
Will Luke Donald lead Workforce Europe to a historic Ryder Cup victory over Workforce USA at Bethpage Black? Watch this 12 months’s contest stay from September 26-28 on Sky Sports activities Golf
“My position on the workforce in 2021 is similar position as it’s now,” Scheffler insisted. “When my quantity will get referred to as and it is time to exit and play, my job is to exit and win a degree and I feel that is how we method issues.”
Can Scheffler maintain delivering?
Scheffler has completed no worse than eighth in his final 15 worldwide begins and heads into the Ryder Cup off the again of a powerful victory on the Procore Championship, the place he was one among 10 Workforce USA gamers that includes, with the duty now to take that week-to-week brilliance right into a workforce setting.
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