NEWTOWN SQAURE, Pa. – Scottie Scheffler is the defending champion at the PGA Championship and feeling like a bridesmaid over the last month.
Runner-up to Rory McIlroy at the Masters. Playoff loss to Matt Fitzpatrick at the RBC Heritage. Runner-up (by six shots) to Cameron Young at Doral.
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“Last week my wife was like, ‘Hey, Scottie. You’re like the first guy in PGA Tour history to have three solo runner-ups in a row.' I'm like, ‘Yeah, it’s probably because the guy that was playing that good figured out a way to win one of those,'” Scheffler said Tuesday.
It hasn't put much of a dent in his confidence going into the second major of the year. Scheffler is fierce when it comes to competition, hates losing even in friendly matches with his caddie and still has come to appreciate that winning isn't always easy.
He has a firm hold on the No. 1 world ranking — he is approaching three straight years at the top of golf — despite not winning since his season debut in the California desert.
“You know you're playing good golf, and you'd love to get some wins,” he said. “Finishing second hurts, but I think when you reflect and you're looking at things to work on, there's a lot less to clean up when you're finishing second than there is when you're finishing 30th.”
Not that he has a lot of experience with the latter — Scheffler hasn't finished 30th or worse since August 2024.
To end that run of silver medal this week at Aronimink would allow him to join Brooks Koepka (2018-19) and Tiger Woods (1999-00 and 2006-07) as the only players to win back-to-back in the PGA Championship in stroke play.
In his way is a course has plenty of room off the tee and little room for error when it comes to hitting the correct spot on the large, severely contoured greens.
He also faces the strongest field of the four majors, with 98 of the top 100 in the world, which includes the last three players to beat him — McIlroy (No. 2), Young (No. 3) and Fitzpatrick (No. 4).
McIlroy came up to Aronimink two weeks ago for a peek at the course he had not played since the BMW Championship in 2018, when it was so soft and mushy from rain that the event couldn't finish until Monday. The hope this week is for minimal rain and firm, dry conditions.
“For the most part, it should be a bit drier, which really brings out the character of the greens,” McIlroy said. “The greens seem to be the big defense and the big talking point of the golf course.”
McIlroy had his practice round cut short on Tuesday with a blister on his right toe that was causing some discomfort last week at the Truist Championship.
Not since Jordan Spieth in 2015 has anyone captured the first two majors of the season, and McIlroy has a chance to do that. The majors have become his focus of late, especially now that he finally has the career Grand Slam from winning the Masters a year ago.
McIlroy and Spieth are in the same group when the PGA Championship begins Thursday, along with Jon Rahm of LIV Golf. Spieth lacks only the PGA Championship to complete the career slam.
For all the talk about bunker complexes that seem to line every landing area — there are 20 bunkers on the 11th hole alone — players have been talking about the greens all week, particularly if the rain holds off and the course gets firm.
“Greens are diabolical. Should be a really good test,” Xander Schauffele said. "You can make it as easy or difficult on yourself as you’d like. If you get aggressive to certain pins and short-side yourself, you’re going to hit it to 20 or 30 feet at best, just based on how fast and firm it is and how much it runs away from you. But at the same time, there's certain pockets where ... you can hit a really good shot and get rewarded for it.
“The greens are definitely the thing to prepare for this tournament. I think it will be fun to watch.”
Scheffler and McIlroy have combined to win four of the last five majors — McIlroy at Augusta National the last two times, Scheffler at the PGA Championship and British Open last year.
Scheffler is more about precision, though he certainly has enough length. McIlroy feasts on wider fairways as one of the best drivers of the ball. Aronimink could test a little of each, though McIlroy was more concerned about the second shot.
“I think in this day and age I’m not sure if it’s going to test all aspects of your bag,” McIlroy said. "Strategy off the tee is pretty nonexistent. It's basically bash driver down there and then figure it out from there. ... When these traditional golf courses take a lot of trees out, it makes strategy not as much of a concern off the tee.
“But the greens are the main focus this week, and I think getting yourself in the right sections of the greens, making sure you leave yourself below the hole for the most part. That’s the key.”
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AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf