Scottie Scheffler has not been shy about pointing the finger at LIV Golf when assessing the fractured state of professional golf.
Speaking on a pre-Masters conference call on Wednesday, Scheffler ventured from missing the competition of the golfers who departed for LIV to an all-out blame session.
“I definitely miss the competition,” the top-ranked golfer said. “They got some pretty good players on their 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. That’s why I’m still playing on the Tour. I love the competition. I wish some of those guys had stayed, but at the end of the day, they made their choice. They knew the consequences of that decision, and I’m not here to change their minds. I hold no ill will toward any of those guys that left.
“They did what they wanted to do, and I can’t control their life. I’m not going to sit here and say they should have done something differently. They made their choice. If we want to figure out why the game of golf is not back together, go ask those guys. Go to wherever they are playing this week and figure out when the game is going to come back together.”
The game will come back together at The Masters in three weeks.
Scheffler, 28, mastered the tournament in Augusta, Ga., for the second time in three years last April with a four-stroke win over Sweden’s Ludvig Aberg.
That victory was one of many last year for Scheffler, who was the first player to win seven official PGA Tour events in a calendar year since Tiger Woods in 2007.
He became the first player to go back-to-back at The Players Championship, won his second career major title at the Masters and earned his other five wins at signature events: the Arnold Palmer Invitational, the RBC Heritage, the Memorial Tournament, the Travelers Championship and the season-ending Tour Championship.
Though not a tour event, Scheffler captured the Olympic gold medal for men’s golf at the Paris Games. He also helped the United States defeat the International team at the Presidents Cup in Montreal.
This year has started off vastly differently for Scheffler, who tied for 20th at 4-under at last week’s Players Championship. He refuses to use a hand injury that cost him the first month of the season as an excuse, however.
“Each day, my hand continues to improve, my body continues to get back to where it needs to be,” Scheffler said. “And you know, I think my swing is coming around as well. So I’m definitely excited about the improvements that I’m making. The results this year have been decent. I feel like I’m really close to playing some really nice golf again.”
–Field Level Media
