As Scottie Scheffler rigorously prepares for his Masters title defense next month, he finds himself longing for the competition from one particular ‘tremendous’ LIV Golf player – Jon Rahm. This revelation emerged during a pre-tournament press conference.
Scheffler, who has been steadily crafting his name in the annals of golf history, has notched up seven PGA Tour titles in 2024, one of which was the coveted Masters. Despite this impressive track record, golf analyst Rick Shiels remains skeptical about Scheffler’s ability to mirror the feats of Tiger Woods.
The world number one’s journey has not been without hiccups. His recent performance at the Players Championship saw him finishing at T20, a position he attributed to his ‘negative frame of mind’ at the time. This setback, coupled with a hand surgery that disrupted his early momentum, has somewhat overshadowed his otherwise successful season – five PGA Tour starts, all of which he managed to make the cut, and two top 10 finishes.
Despite these challenges, Scheffler’s focus remains unwavering. However, he confessed to missing the thrill of going head-to-head with fellow Masters champion and LIV Golf icon, Jon Rahm. The camaraderie between the two talented players is evident as Scheffler reminisced about their ‘great battles’ over the years, particularly at the Ryder Cup.
Interestingly, the duo seems to have a balanced scorecard at the Ryder Cup, having halved most of their matches. Scheffler fondly recalled their encounters at the last two Ryder Cups, saying, “Maybe we’ve played five times and halved three of them, and I’ve won one and he’s won one.” He expressed his wish to compete more frequently with Rahm in the future.
The conversation around Rahm was sparked by the memory of the Spaniard receiving the green jacket from Scheffler two years ago at Augusta National. The roles reversed last time when Rahm presented the jacket to Scheffler. However, Rahm’s move to join LIV Golf at the end of 2023 brought an abrupt end to their regular on-field encounters.
Despite this shift, Scheffler is optimistic about reuniting with Rahm on the field, possibly at the 2025 Ryder Cup. He admitted to missing the intense competition that comes with playing against top players like Rahm, asserting, “I definitely miss the competition.”
The world number one, however, remains confident in the strength of the PGA Tour. “I still think the PGA Tour has by far the best players in the world. The depth of our fields and the competition that we have is still hands down the best competition that there is in the game of golf,” Scheffler said.
Scheffler’s love for the competition keeps him firmly anchored to the PGA Tour. While he wishes some of the top players had stayed, he respects their choices and harbors no resentment towards those who left. “They made their choice. If we want to figure out why the game of golf is not back together, go ask those guys,” he concluded.