Houston (AFP) – As Scottie Scheffler’s life continues to evolve on and off the course, the world number one was happy to be home this week to defend his title at the PGA Tour CJ Cup Byron Nelson in Mckinney, Texas. Scheffler tied the lowest PGA Tour 72-hole score to win by a whopping eight strokes last year at TPC Craig Ranch — the course in the Dallas suburbs that is a comfortable commute from his home.
“It was nice to have a home week, especially coming off a major championship,” said Scheffler, who struggled on the demanding greens at Aronimink last week to finish seven strokes behind winner Aaron Rai at the PGA Championship. Some rest on Monday, practice at another local course, and Wednesday’s pro-am made for a relaxed build-up to his title defense, Scheffler told reporters on Wednesday.
Related news
It’s the kind of week he finds especially valuable since the arrival of his second child, son Remy, in March. “I think so far this year, when you add a second child to the mix, I think that’s a whole different ballgame in terms of home life,” said Scheffler. “There’s a lot more activity for me at golf tournaments than there was early in my career. I think you just adjust. I can’t spend as much time at the golf course as I did when I was younger, early in my career, and that’s for a variety of reasons.”
“It’s more important for me to get home in a timely manner now. A lot of it is just schedule adjustments. You just adjust your day and prioritize the things I need to prioritize.” Scheffler seems to keep firing on all cylinders whatever adjustments he has to make. Although he couldn’t conjure much Sunday magic at Aronimink, his 14th place finish marked his 10th top-25 of a 2026 campaign that included a win at La Quinta in the California desert and a trio of runner-up finishes, including at the Masters.
He’ll try to get back to the winner’s circle at a course significantly changed since his win last year. Scheffler says it plays “fairly similar tee-to-green” but the greens are “definitely much more interesting.” Scheffler said it offers a chance to “reset” his putting after Aronimink. “Overall I feel like I’m in a good spot,” he said. “I’ve actually putted the best that I have in my career so far this year, and (I can) just kind of get a reset, get on some new greens, work on my reads, make sure I’m checking all my fundamentals.”
© 2024 AFP
