The Bounce Back

The Bounce Back

A couple of weeks ago I wrote about taking what Scottie Scheffler is achieving for granted. That Tiger Woods’ exploits had probably spoiled us. That the number one player in the world needed to be flashy, extracting himself in dramatic fashion from trouble and making the unbelievable shot that would lead to the incredible birdie and in the end win the tournament, many times a major tournament.

Scottie is very different. He rarely, if ever, puts himself in a position that needs flash, extraction and an unbelievable shot. He’s kind of boring. Middle of the fairway. A few feet away from the hole. He makes the putt, without fist-pumping. These days, we are inundated with stats, facts and figures. Those that keep track of such things keep track of everything. There is a stat on the PGA Tour, the bounce back statistic. How often, after making a bogey does a player “bounce back” with a birdie on the next hole. The tour average is thirteen percent. Scottie’s average? Sixty-two percent. More than sixty percent of the time, after he bogeys a hole, he comes back to birdie the next one. It’s one of those quiet stats that doesn’t draw too much attention, but it does win golf tournaments and major championships. That stuff makes him almost impossible to catch. When he’s in the lead after fifty-four holes, he’s never lost. Sound familiar?

You could also say, if you wanted to stretch this analogy, that Scottie bounced back from a disappointing Masters tournament and won the next major, just a month later, the PGA Championship. The PGA is Scottie’s third major, going along with his two Masters victories.

Like Tiger, Scottie may also be beginning a run. There are very few places that don’t suit his game. Oakmont is tough on everybody, but if you’re disciplined, thoughtful, patient, you rarely make a wrong decision, and you’re a good putter, you’ve got a chance.

At the home of NASCAR, Scottie lapped the field last week. Now, with the game’s toughest test on the horizon, the game’s toughest competitor looks more than ready.