PINEHURST, North Carolina (AFP) — Scottie Scheffler appears unstoppable as Thursday’s first round of the US Open approaches, with many top rivals amazed the world No. 1 already has five wins this year including the Masters.
“He’s the gold standard right now,” said 2020 US Open winner Bryson DeChambeau.
“Undoubtedly, the best player in the world at the minute by a long way. It’s up to us to try to get to his level,” said four-time major winner Rory McIlroy, who dubbed Scheffler “relentless.”
Two-time major winner Jon Rahm said Scheffler is “basically replicating a Tiger Woods season. It’s fantastic.”
What can stop Scheffler? Well, he did settle for eighth at May’s PGA Championship after being arrested on driving-related charges that were later dropped.
“The only thing that took him from winning a golf tournament was going into a jail cell for an hour,” McIlroy joked.
Scheffler will play the first and second rounds at Pinehurst with third-ranked McIlroy and second-ranked Xander Schauffele, the PGA Championship winner who sings Scheffler’s praises as well.
“Scottie is doing incredible things,” Schauffele said.
“Every week we play, he seems to build a bigger lead and somehow make the mountain even taller for all of us to climb.”
Scheffler is the first player since Tom Watson in 1980 to win five PGA Tour events before the US Open, having taken titles at Bay Hill, the Players, the Masters, the Heritage and last week’s Memorial.
The 27-year-old American, who became a father last month, has 12 top-10 efforts in 13 PGA Tour events this year, and he does it with a matter-of-fact attitude about his success.
“I’m not thinking about my wins anymore,” Scheffler said.
“All I’m focused on is this week and getting ready to play. Last week doesn’t really matter.”
Every golfer is chasing his ranking and success but he doesn’t feel it.
“I still don’t feel like there’s much of a target on my back,” Scheffler said.
“It’s not like anybody is out there playing defense. When I play with Xander and Rory here Thursday and Friday, they’re not going to be saying weird stuff to me or trying to block my putt from going in the hole.”
“Target on my back? I don’t really feel it and I don’t really think about it much.”
Scheffler hasn’t spoken with people about how to cope with his success.
“I haven’t really discussed that with anybody,” he said.
“I try not to think about the past too much and I try not to think about the future too much. I just try to live in the present. Sometimes it’s easier and sometimes it’s a bit harder.”
Even the high praise of rivals is taken as brotherly compliments.
