Scottie Scheffler, currently ranked as the world’s top golfer, attended a press conference before his opening round at the Tour Championship. As he aims for his second FedExCup victory at East Lake, Scheffler shared insights from a memorable encounter with Tiger Woods during the 2020 Masters Tournament.
During that competitive round, Woods experienced a difficult moment with a career-worst score of 10 on the par-3 12th hole at Augusta National. Nonetheless, Woods demonstrated remarkable resilience by birdieing five of his final six holes. Reflecting on this instance, Scheffler discussed the significance of Woods’ mentality.
“When I talk about competitive instincts and about intensity each week, that’s stuff that I learned just by watching Tiger,” Scheffler stated. “I’ve only played with him once in competition — it was at the Masters… I just remember walking up to that first green watching him read his first putt and I was like, ‘Holy smokes, this guy is into it.’ That was my main takeaway, just the intensity that he brought to each and every shot. That’s definitely something I’ve tried to model in my game.”
Scheffler began the 2026 playoffs on a high note, winning the FedEx St. Jude Championship and securing the lead. He proceeded to finish tied for 12th at the BMW Championship. Looking ahead, Scheffler is set to tee off at 2 p.m. ET on Thursday, paired with Matt Fitzpatrick.