Scottie Scheffler well on his way to winning hole-out bet with caddie Ted Scott

“He’s a competitor so I like to figure out ways to make him competitive. It’s just a way to keep him engaged.”

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PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. –  As if Scottie Scheffler hasn’t won enough money in the last two weeks, he’s more than halfway to winning his annual chip-in bet with caddie Ted Scott.

As Scheffler took aim with his 56-degree sand wedge at the par-4 fourth hole from 92 yards, NBC lead analyst Kevin Kisner predicted, “This one oughta be dancing around the hole.”

Was it ever. It spun into the hole for an eagle to kickstart Scheffler’s remarkable rally from five shots back to repeat as champion of the Players Championship. Scott smiled and flashed six fingers, noting that it marked the sixth hole out this season for Scheffler, who needs to make 10 of them this year to win their annual bet.

“I got off to a slow start this year. I didn’t hole out any until Riv,” said Scheffler, referring to Riviera Country Club, host of the Genesis Invitational last month. “But I’ve hit the ground running pretty quick after that.”

Scheffler added: “So it was actually I think it was last year this time (at the Players) where I got to 10. So now we’re at six and hopefully we can keep the momentum rolling and get some of Teddy’s money back in my pocket.”

Scott said that they re-set the bet after Scheffler won last year, but that he failed to get to 20 hole-outs. It may have been due to Scott losing count of his boss’s hole-outs.

Scott called the bet an old caddie trick – Jordan Spieth and Michael Greller have had a similar practice for years – and while the caddies are often on the losing end, they wind up profiting if their pro is holing out, so there’s really no downside.

“It’s like fishing where the fish thinks it’s getting something,” Scott explained. “He’s a competitor so I like to figure out ways to make him competitive. It’s just a way to keep him engaged.”

Scott noted that during their first year together in 2022 that he and Scheffler had an argument over the contest when Scheffler contended his hole out should count and Scott held firm that it didn’t count because it wasn’t a chip.

“It’s 150 yards,” Scheffler complained.

“I guess he trumped me on that,” Scott said, noting that hole-outs have counted ever since.

The hole-out on No. 4 at TPC Sawgrass will go down as one for the ages. Scott better start saving up to pay off their bet.

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Forget slow play and hitting the ball too far, golf needs to figure out the we-don’t-know-how-to-high-five-properly dilemma

Scottie Scheffler and Ted Scott couldn’t figure out how to celebrate after an eagle.

There has been lots of talk lately about slow play. Golf Twitter was all over Patrick Cantlay during the Masters for taking too long and it continued Friday when he made an ace during the second round of the RBC Heritage at Harbour Town Golf Links in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina.

When his hole-in-one was posted by the official PGA Tour account, nearly every comment and quote tweet continued to poke fun at his deliberate play style.

On top of that, golf is facing a distance crisis.

But the real problem in this sport is handshakes. Players and caddies just can’t seem to figure out how to high-five. It’s a real dilemma.

It happened again Friday when Scottie Scheffler chipped in for eagle and he and his looper, Ted Scott, were not on the same page when it came to their celebration.

I mean, this is tough to watch.

Golf Twitter was once again right on top of it, no one cared about the great shot.

Scottie Scheffler wins a bet with his caddie, Tom Hoge’s record round and Aaron Rai comes up aces among takeaways from third round at 2023 Players Championship

Scottie Scheffler would move back to No. 1 in the world with a win.

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — Scottie Scheffler won a year-long bet with his caddie on Saturday. On Sunday, he’s hoping to win the Players Championship, return to World No. 1 and earn the largest check on the PGA Tour.

Scheffler fired a 7-under 65 at TPC Sawgrass on Saturday to grab the 54-hole lead with a total of 14-under 202, two strokes clear of Australian Min Woo Lee.

Scheffler, who had to finish off his second-round 69 in the morning, vaulted into the lead with a birdie-eagle start in the afternoon. After pulling his second shot at the par-5 second hole, he lofted a pitch from the rough and jarred the 62-foot shot and then jawed at caddie Ted Scott having recorded his 10th hole-out…and it’s only March.

“I had a decent lie there in the rough and was able to hit a flop shot pretty much exactly where I wanted to land it,” he said. “I was definitely fortunate to see it go in, and then Teddy and I got a year-long thing going that I just beat him on and he owes me something, but he didn’t have any of it, and so he owes me. It’s an IOU from Teddy.”

Scheffler made his lone bogey at the seventh, but it barely slowed him down as he bounced back with consecutive birdies. He closed with birdies on two of his final three holes as he posted his career low at the Stadium Course and claimed his seventh career 54-hole lead/co-lead on Tour. The reigning Masters champion is seeking to win for the second time this season —he defended his title at the WM Phoenix Open in February — and supplant Jon Rahm as World No. 1. But Scheffler knows that winning will take care of the latter.

“I think the ranking is just an algorithm,” he said. “For me, I would much rather win the tournament than get back to No. 1 in the world. So that will be my focus going into tomorrow is just going out and having a solid round of golf, and the rankings will be the rankings.”

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Photos: Caddies and their flags from the 18th hole after winning a tournament

Every week on virtually every tour, the winning caddie grabs the flag on 18.

It has become a tradition unlike any other.

Every week on virtually every tour, the winning caddie grabs the flag on 18. It has become the caddie’s trophy, as much of a ritual as players removing their hats and shaking hands after the round. But what is the origin of this tradition and who started it? No one seems to know.

“I don’t know how it happened,” says Ted Scott, who earned his third Masters flag working on the bag of Scottie Scheffler in 2022 to go with the previous two he pocketed with Bubba Watson in 2012 and 2014. “But it’s a cool tradition, a huge reward and a special thing. Whoever started it, I’m grateful for it.”

Golfweek did some digging, hoping to get to the bottom of this unsolved mystery, and along the way the stories we heard about caddies and flags were too good not to share.

Why isn’t Ted Scott on Scottie Scheffler’s bag this week in Canada? He’s got a great excuse

Instead of carrying Scottie Scheffler’s bag this week in Canada, Ted Scott is teeing it up on the Korn Ferry Tour.

Scottie Scheffler battled hard to shoot 3-under 67 on Friday in Canada. The world No. 1 and reigning Masters champion is doing so with Jordan Guilford as his caddie this week at the RBC Canadian Open.

Asked in an interview after the round if his regular bagman Ted Scott would be back in action next week at the U.S. Open, Scheffler was quick to say, “Yeah. He’s OK. He’s all right.”

Scott, the veteran looper who was on Scheffler’s bag for his third green jacket winner, is doing better than all right and there’s a good reason why he isn’t north of the border – he’s competing in the Korn Ferry Tour’s BMW Charity Pro-Am in Greenville, South Carolina this week.

Scott, a former mini-tour pro and golf coach, describes his game as “the leader in other fairways hit” in his Twitter profile. He enjoyed some time behind the wheel on a race track ahead of the tournament and is listed as a “celebrity” amateur in the field.

Scott has been a caddie for 21 years, primarily with Bubba Watson, including for his wins at the 2012 and 2014 Masters. They split late last year and Scott joined Scheffler after the Ryder Cup at the RSM Classic. Scheffler, who was winless on the PGA Tour until February, has won four times in his last 10 starts.

Scheffler’s substitute caddie has worked for Andrew Putnam and Beau Hossler in the past, and Scheffler used him at two fall events before hooking up with Scott. Scheffler made it clear it’s a one-week gig.

For Scott, he’s soaking up the experience including having a caddie at his disposal.

“We were picking on him on the last hole,” Scott told PGATour.com, “because I said to him, ‘Hey, this is the one chance I have to get to have somebody get the pin out.’ He’s over there just hanging out with my buddy. ‘Like, dude, come over and get the pin out. I don’t want to touch this thing.’ ”

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How Ted Scott’s kids helped him shift from retirement to caddying for another Masters champ

“Conversations with Champions, presented by Sentry” catches up with Ted Scott, caddie for Scottie Scheffler, at the Masters.

“Conversations with Champions, presented by Sentry” is a new weekly series from Golfweek that is a collaboration with the Caddie Network. Each week, we’ll take you behind the scenes in a chat with the winning caddie from the most recent PGA Tour event. This week: Scottie Scheffler and Ted Scott from the 86th Masters.

AUGUSTA, Ga. – Ted Scott walked off the 18th green at Augusta National well ahead of his boss, Scottie Scheffler. With his hat pushed up off his forehead and the staff bag slung over his right shoulder, Scott carried the flagstick – his trophy – down toward scoring.

Six months ago, Scott thought he was done caddying after a 15-year stint with Bubba Watson that included two Masters victories, came to an end. Now he’s working for Scheffler, the No. 1 player in the world, and, as a team, they’ve won four of nine starts together. His Masters flag collection has now swelled to three.

“It’s very surreal,” said Scott. “It’s pretty crazy, actually.”

2022 Masters
Ted Scott, caddie for Scottie Scheffler, gives high-fives to patrons after Scheffler won the 2022 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club. (Photo: Adam Cairns-Augusta Chronicle/USA TODAY Sports)

The humble Scott won’t take any credit for Scheffler’s three-shot victory over Rory McIlroy. He teared up when talking about Steve Kling, the local caddie he stayed with during Masters week who answered question after question. Scott is quick to point out that he has yet to hit a shot here.

Last fall, Scott planned to retire from caddying and teach golf, something he’s been doing for years anyway. But when Scheffler called, Scott decided to put what happens next in the hands of his family.

“I had my kids and my wife pray about it,” said Scott. “They took a week and came back and said ‘Dad, we think you ought to do it.’ ”

Scott told them to pray about it another week. The answer came back the same.

Watson, Scott and Scheffler are tied together by their Christian faith. All three men are active in the PGA Tour’s Bible study group. After his round on Sunday, Watson was asked if he had any regrets about not having Scott on the bag. Watson said no, calling it a mutual split. In fact, he’s happy that another young player will benefit from Scott’s leadership.

“That’s why I hired Teddy years ago in ’06, and now Teddy being on the bag with Scottie,” said Watson. “All three of us are trying to do the same things. We’re trying to be the best husband we can be, trying to be the best parent we can be. Scottie is not a parent yet, but he will be at some point. We’re trying to do the same goals in life, and then golf just gets in the way. If you get your life somewhat in order, maybe a few more putts will go in.”

Scott wiped away tears as he videoed Scheffler’s green jacket ceremony on the practice green. Scheffler told the crowd there were times on Sunday that he felt like he should’ve been carrying the bag because he was blindly following Scott’s lead.

2022 Masters
Scott Scheffler celebrates with his caddie Ted Scott after winning the 2022 Masters Tournament. (Photo: Michael Madrid-USA TODAY Sports)

Phillip Allen of the Twenty First Group did the math on the difference in Scheffler’s bottom line since having Scott on the bag and the numbers are striking. In 62 starts on the PGA Tour pre-Scott, Scheffler had zero wins and made $8.56 million. With Scott, he has four victories in nine starts, for $9.04 million ($1 million per start).

Scheffler’s admiration for Scott, however, extends well beyond his ability to caddie.

“I can’t say enough about him,” said Scheffler. “You know, the qualities you look for in a person, Ted embodies pretty much all of them. He’s humble. He’s hard-working. He’s honest. He’s a good time to be around. I even, he’s just — he’s an amazing guy. To be able to have him on the bag is so special.”

Winning caddies at the Masters can write a letter to request their iconic white jumpsuits. Like many, Scott has grand plans for his memorabilia. He plans to eventually display everything in the building where he instructs.

But like everything with these two, it’s what’s inside that matters most. Before the round began on Sunday, Scott unzipped his jumpsuit to show Scheffler what was written on his green T-shirt: “God is in control.”

He might want to save that one for the display wall, too.

Golfweek’s Adam Schupak contributed to this article.

The equipment

A complete list of the golf equipment Scottie Scheffler used to win the 2022 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club:

DRIVER: TaylorMade Stealth Plus+ (8 degrees), with Fujikura Ventus Black 7X shaft.

FAIRWAY WOOD: TaylorMade Stealth 3HL (16.5 degrees), with Fujikura Ventus Black 8X shaft

IRONS: Srixon ZU85 (3), with Nippon Pro Modus3 Hybrid Tour X, Srixon ZX7 (4), TaylorMade P-7TW (5-PW), with True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 shafts.

WEDGES: Titleist Vokey Design SM8 (50, 56, 60 degrees), with True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400 shafts.

PUTTER: Scotty Cameron Special Select Timeless Tour prototype

BALL: Titleist Pro V1

GRIPS: Golf Pride Tour Velvet

We occasionally recommend interesting products, services, and gaming opportunities. If you make a purchase by clicking one of the links, we may earn an affiliate fee. Golfweek operates independently, though, and this doesn’t influence our coverage.

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Ten years ago, Bubba Watson became a father, a Masters champion and a folk hero

It came as a surprise that Watson won in 2012 considering his work in major championships.

The signature moment of the 2012 Masters came from the powerful, artistic hands of Bubba Watson, his hard-snapping curveball from deep in the Georgia Pines somehow landing on the perfectly manicured putting canvas on the 10th hole and leading to his sudden death triumph against Louis Oosthuizen, a shot that will live on in the tournament’s lore.

But when the big-hitting lefty from Bagdad, Florida, thinks back to that magical day at Augusta National Golf Club, especially with the upcoming 10th anniversary of his first major title arriving with this year’s 86th Masters, the highlight holding sway in his mind is not slipping on the green jacket, gaining lifetime residence in the Champions Locker Room or becoming a folk hero in the game he loves.

No, his most memorable highlight actually came the following morning.

He changed a diaper.

After exiting Magnolia Lane late Sunday night with the sport’s most cherished garment, Watson dashed home to Florida. Arriving in the early morning, he hung the green jacket in a closet and looked down at the crib where his 1-month-old son, Caleb, who he and his wife, Angie, adopted just 13 days prior, was sleeping.

“Holding my son was so much better than getting a green jacket,” Watson said in a phone call with Golfweek. “I know it sounds bad, but that’s who I am. My legacy should be about who Bubba Watson is as a person, and who Bubba Watson is as a husband, who Bubba Watson is a dad. My legacy should not be about my job.

“At the end of my days, we shouldn’t talk about how many victories I had. We should talk about who I am as a person, a husband and a dad if that makes sense.”

There’s nothing wrong, or bad, as Watson said, with putting family and faith before his craft. And it should be noted that Watson certainly doesn’t shun his work. He’s a winner of 12 PGA Tour titles, three of which he had won before the 2012 Masters.

Bubba Watson walks to the 18th green on the first hole of a playoff against Louis Oosthuizen during the final round of the 2012 Masters at Augusta National Golf Club. Photo by Jack Gruber/USA TODAY Sports

Still, it came as a surprise that Watson won in 2012 considering his work in major championships and heavy favorites Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Rory McIlroy and world No. 1 Luke Donald, among many others, to deal with.

Heading to Augusta that year – his wife shoved him out the door to go and prepare for the Masters because she didn’t want to see him just show up and go through the motions – Watson had just two top 10s in 16 starts in majors.

And in three Masters starts, he had finished T20, 42nd and T38.

But Watson rolled into the 76th Masters hot – and in a euphoric state.

In his first seven 2012 starts, he had three top-5 finishes, including finishing second in the WGC-Cadillac Championship and tying for fourth in the Arnold Palmer Invitational in his last two starts before going to Augusta.

And he had become a father for the first time.

“I went in there on a high,” Watson said. “It’s all about playing good and confident. So it’s really not so much the course. When a guy gets on a roll, they just get on a roll, right? And I was on a roll.

“And then we adopted my son. My life was on an all-time high. I was just on cloud nine in life.”

Still, Ted Scott, who was on the bag for all of Watson’s 12 PGA Tour titles before the two split late in 2021, was surprised at his boss’s declaration after a practice round on Monday.

“He told me he thought he could win the Masters,” Scott said. “So he had already planted the seed in his head that he could win that tournament. As a caddie, you believe in your player, but it’s kind of like you’re looking at the results going in.

Bubba Watson (left) gets a hug from his mother after winning the 2012 The Masters golf tournament at Augusta National Golf Club. USA TODAY Sports

“So that was different, you know? But he loves the course, the visuals, fast greens, the creativity you need. So it does definitely bring his skill set alive.

“And he was playing great starting the week. Right away, you kind of see his focus. He tends to be reactionary and he wasn’t. He very much was taking everything on the chin. That’s when I knew he was in it.

“So I believed him.”

Watson opened with a 69 to stand two shots back of Lee Westwood, then followed with a 71 to sit one shot back of Fred Couples and Jason Dufner at the halfway mark. A 70 in the third round left him three shots back of Peter Hanson, who would go out with Mickelson in the final group, with Watson and Oosthuizen in the penultimate pairing.

Then, about 30 minutes into his final round, Watson, wearing all white and wielding a pink driver, was witness to the rarest shot in golf – an albatross – as Oosthuizen holed his second shot on the par-5 second with a 4-iron from 253 yards to reach 10 under, four clear of Watson.

It was only the fourth albatross in the first 76 editions of the Masters. Unnerved, however, Watson played steady but a three-putt bogey on 12 dropped him two shots behind Oosthuizen.

Yet winning wasn’t on his mind.

“I remember talking to Teddy going to the tee on 13, saying, ‘Man, I can still have a great finish. I can still top 10, I can still top five,’” Watson said. “There are two par 5s and if I can just play under-par from here to the clubhouse, I could get a top 5 or better.”

He got better.

Watson birdied 13, 14, 15 and 16 to tie for the lead.

“I never thought about winning that day until I made the four birdies in a row on the back nine,” Watson said. “I remember walking to the tee on 17 and I told Teddy, ‘We have a chance to win the Masters.’ And then I hit the worst shot of the week, a big old slice way to the left. I finally got out of my element. Instead of just focusing on good golf, focusing on my beautiful family back home, I started thinking about things that I can do instead of thinking about just playing the golf.

Bubba Watson of the United States walks up the 18th fairway during the final round of the 2012 Masters Tournament at Augusta National.

“That’s when Teddy got in my ear.”

Scott said he just had to remind Watson how good he was.

“Bubba is such a great recovery artist that you just go tell him that. You can hit any shot, Bubba, I told him. And I told him that he told me when I first started caddying for him that if I have a swing, I have a shot,” Scott said. “He had a swing.

“Caddying is trying to get your player to believe in himself and commit to what he’s doing because these guys are incredible at the game.”

Watson hit a superb recovery shot, saved par, made par on the 18th and signed for a 68 to finish at 10 under with Oosthuizen, who shot 69.

They both made par on the first playoff hole, the 18th, with Watson missing his putt from 15 feet that would have won the Masters.

Then the two went to the par-4, downhill 10th.

Watson, hitting first, tried to hit a cut on the dogleg-left hole and instead hit it long and straight deep into the trees, his right arm immediately signaling the ball was going way right. Upon seeing this, Oosthuizen switched clubs but hit a heel-cut, pop-up short and into the right rough, his ball coming to rest more than 220 yards from the green.

“Okay, I didn’t know where Bubba was, but Louis had no easy par,” Scott said.

Oosthuizen came up well short of the green with his second as Watson was studying his next course of action, the ball nestled on pine needles.

But he knew what he was going to do, even though he could barely see the green.

“There was only one shot in all of our minds. That was a no-brainer.” Watson said. “The shot was perfect for me. There was never another shot to think about.”

A punch-out was not in the equation.

Bubba Watson of the United States plays at a shot from the rough on the second sudden-death playoff hole on the 10th during the final round of the 2012 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club on April 8, 2012 in Augusta, Georgia. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)

“I saw the gap in the trees and I’m just like, this is Bubba Golf, here we go,” Scott said. “I played 100 rounds of golf with that dude and I’ve seen him hit so many different shots every single round.

“It wasn’t surprising he hit the shot, to hook it as much as he did, but under the situation, to come through like that, that’s what makes it incredible. That shot was just normal for Bubba. The situation just made it more special.”

Watson said he had 135 yards to the front of the green, 160 to the flag. He hit a screaming hook some 40 yards with a gap wedge that ended 15 feet from the hole.

“I had no idea where he was,” said Oosthuizen, who failed to get up and down for par. “Where I stood, when the ball came out, it looked like a curve ball.

“Unbelievable shot. That shot he hit definitely won him the tournament.”

Within seconds of tapping in for the win, Watson began sobbing. The first on the green was his mother. And Watson thought of his father, a former Green Beret who battled post-traumatic stress disorder and died in 2010 after a long battle with cancer. Some of his peers, including Rickie Fowler, Aaron Baddeley and Ben Crane, were on hand ready with a hug and a shoulder to cry on.

“It’s fun to win, but in the end, it’s empty if you don’t have people to win with,” Scott said. “And I think the fact that when he won, and he came off that green and saw the support from other players and friends and his parents, you know, his mom, I think that’s where you realize, like, ‘Man, this is a big deal, but it’s not the biggest deal in life, but it’s a big deal.’ And Bubba has always had that perspective.

“He’s incredible. And that’s a gift that he has, and I wish more pros could take that away from the game of golf and realize it’s just a game. If you have a great family, then you’re blessed. And I think that’s the perspective that he has.”

It wasn’t easy getting there for Watson, who in the past self-diagnosed himself as having attention deficit disorder and has battled anxiety and depression issues. But the man of faith lives – and plays – on.

“The trophy is nice, the green jacket is great, but being there for my family, being a good dad, a good husband, a good man, is what it’s all about,” Watson said.

Two years after his major breakthrough, Watson won his second Masters. His son waddled onto the 18th green, his hands in his pockets, to greet his father that day as the sun set over Augusta National. Seven months later, the Watsons became a foursome with the adoption of daughter, Dakota.

When the 10th anniversary of his 2014 Masters title arrives, expect Watson to tell you his utmost memories of that win was Caleb greeting him on the 18th and then the addition of Dakota to the family.

That would just be Bubba being Bubba.

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Conversations with Champions, presented by Sentry: Scottie Scheffler, caddie Ted Scott at 2022 WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play Championship

Scottie Scheffler and caddie Ted Scott have added a World Golf Championship to their resumes.

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Scottie Scheffler entered 2022 still seeking his first PGA Tour win.

The calendar hasn’t even flipped to April yet and Scheffler is now a three-time winner on the PGA Tour.

Veteran caddie Ted Scott, who used to work for Bubba Watson, has been on the bag for all three of those wins, including Sunday at Austin Country Club.

Scott clearly takes great pride in helping his guy reach the finish line.

“I think I have a servant’s heart. I just like helping people. That’s why I coach golf,” Scott told John Rathouz of the Caddie Network the day after the victory. “When you get to help someone else achieve what they want to do, it’s so rewarding.”

Scheffler made the final of the Match Play a year ago, falling to Billy Horschel. Scheffler eliminated Horschel in the Round of 16 this time around. Scheffler then knocked out Seamus Power, Dustin Johnson and Kevin Kisner to win it all.

“Seeing how hard Scottie Scheffler works and seeing how dedicated he is to getting better and improving and winning. … it’s a joy. There’s no other way to describe it. To serve someone and try to help them achieve what they want to do, and then when they do it, it’s pretty freakin’ awesome.”

Scheffler ascended to No. 1 in the world ranking Monday, joining Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm, Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas and Tiger Woods as the only golfers to reach the pinnacle at age 25 or younger.

The equipment

Here’s a closer look at the golf equipment Scottie Scheffler used to win the Match Play.

DRIVER: TaylorMade Stealth Plus+ (8 degrees), with Fujikura Ventus Black 7X shaft.

FAIRWAY WOOD: TaylorMade Stealth 3HL (16.5 degrees), with Fujikura Ventus Black 8X shaft

IRONS: Srixon ZU85 (3), with Nippon Pro Modus3 Hybrid Tour X, Srixon ZX7 (4), TaylorMade P-7TW (5-PW), with True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 shafts.

WEDGES: Titleist Vokey Design SM8 (50, 56, 60 degrees), with True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400 shafts.

PUTTER: Scotty Cameron Special Select Timeless Tour prototype

BALL: Titleist Pro V1

GRIPS: Golf Pride Tour Velvet

We occasionally recommend interesting products, services, and gaming opportunities. If you make a purchase by clicking one of the links, we may earn an affiliate fee. Golfweek operates independently, though, and this doesn’t influence our coverage.

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How Scottie Scheffler convinced Ted Scott to caddie for him and why it paid quick dividends in Phoenix

Ted Scott was done caddying after his partnership with Bubba Watson ended, but that changed with a phone call from Scottie Scheffler.

PACIFIC PALISADES, Calif. – When Scottie Scheffler heard that Bubba Watson and caddie Ted Scott had parted ways in the fall, Scheffler figured it was worth a call to see what Scott, who had been on the bag for Watson’s two Masters victories and double-digit wins, planned to do next. After all, it’s not every day that a veteran caddie with Scott’s resume becomes available.

Scheffler, 25, and Scott had met in bible study a year earlier and Scheffler got to know him best during the Zurich Classic of New Orleans in late April when Scheffler partnered with Watson in the two-man team event.

“I already thought the world of him as a person,” Scheffler said.

Scott said he thought he was done with caddying, but that changed when his phone rang.

“He called me up and said, ‘I really want to work with a Christian.’ That’s how I try to live my life,” Scott said on Sunday. “The other thing he said was, ‘I really like competing.’ I said, ‘I like competing.’ Thought it could be a fun thing. We hashed out the details.”

Scottie Scheffler of the United States talks with his caddie Ted Scott on the 1st hole during the first round of The RSM Classic on the Seaside Course at Sea Island Resort on November 18, 2021 in St Simons Island, Georgia. (Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images)

They did a trial run at the RSM Classic in November. Scheffler shot 63 in the first round. Scheffler finished second at the Hero World Challenge in December. In just their fifth tournament together, Scott paid his biggest dividend last week at the WM Phoenix Open as Scheffler rallied on the back-nine and outlasted Patrick Cantlay to claim his first PGA Tour title.

That Scheffler, who at No. 9 moved into the top 10 in the Official World Golf Ranking for the first time this week, hadn’t won already was mystifying.

“I do think I was making it a little bit hard,” Scheffler conceded on Tuesday during his pre-tournament press conference ahead of the Genesis Invitational. “I think at certain points in some of those final rounds I’d make a few mistakes and maybe get down a little bit. I wouldn’t say I felt out of it last week, but I just kept telling myself there’s going to be bumps in the road and I gave myself on Sunday way too many bumps.”

Scott’s calming influence came in handy earlier in the week as Scheffler struggled to a 68-71 start that had him hovering around the cutline.

“I kept telling Teddy on Thursday and Friday I was scoring really poorly but I was playing fantastic golf, my swing felt great, short game felt good, putting felt good, everything felt really good and I was only 3 under,” he said. “I was really fighting the cut line on Friday afternoon. I had to make like a six- or seven-footer on 7 for par to stay at 2 under, which was the cut line. Then I ended up making like a 40-footer for birdie on 8 to get to 3 under, and got up and down on 9 because I thought the cut line was going to be at 3 under.”

Scott could tell that Scheffler didn’t require a big pep talk.

“There were a couple decent moments early in the week where he kept me loose,” Scheffler said of Scott. “He makes me laugh at moments when I definitely don’t want to.”

Feb 13, 2022; Scottsdale, Arizona, USA; Scottie Scheffler plays from the green side bunker on the third as caddy J.Tedd Scott looks on during the final round of the WM Phoenix Open golf tournament. (Allan Henry-USA TODAY Sports)

On Sunday, Scheffler didn’t let the bumps in the road slow him down.

“I always viewed it as I had to play kind of this perfect version of golf,” said Scheffler, who made four bogeys on Sunday, including three in a four-hole stretch on the front nine at TPC Scottsdale. “If you would have told me a year ago that I would be making those kind of mistakes and been able to still win the golf tournament, I would have been pretty surprised, but I guess I proved a little bit to myself that it doesn’t take perfect golf and it’s more about coming back from the mistakes than it is just kind of cruising the entire time.

“I think I made like four bogeys and they were all kind of bogeys where maybe I was trying to force a little something. Like I tried to force something on 8 after making a bogey on 7. I tried to force it close to the flag on 5 when I wasn’t comfortable with the yardage. Then on 12 I really tried to make a good swing, but once again I short-sided myself. I didn’t really let those bogeys bother me as much as I would have in the past,” Scheffler said.

On 14, Scheffler’s drive kicked into a funky lie, but he slashed it to 8 feet and made the birdie putt. “I can’t believe we still have a chance to win this golf tournament,” he said to Scott.

What impressed Scott most was the way Scheffler didn’t back down. On 15, Scheffler hit a low 5-iron into the green at the par 5 and Scott, said of it, “The way he’s attacking, I was like he’s ready to win this thing.”

After a celebratory dinner on Sunday with his wife, Meredith, and her brother and his fiancée and watching the end of the Super Bowl, Scheffler is ready to get back to work at a place where he won an exemption into the tournament in 2018 while competing for Texas in the Genesis Invitational Collegiate Showcase. The real victory party will wait until he gets home to Dallas.

“Meredith always, she asks me what I wanted to do after my first win and we’ve got a little something planned for at home,” Scheffler said. “There’s a really good meat market in town that I like and I’m going to go get a bunch of steaks and grill them for our friends and family and then just have a good time at our new house.”

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Scottie Scheffler clicks right away with Ted Scott, former caddie for Bubba Watson

“I really just think the world of him as a person.”

SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. – With a new face on his bag, Scottie Scheffler continued to look just fine.

The 25-year-old, who finished fourth in the World Wide Technology Championship at Mayakoba and runner-up in last week’s Hewlett Packard Enterprise Houston Open in the last two weeks, rolled into the Sea Island Golf Club with veteran caddie Ted Scott on his bag.

Scott had walked step for step alongside Bubba Watson for 15 years before the two split in September, during which time Watson won 12 events, including the Masters twice. But in their first week together, Scheffler and Scott were as one as the 2019 Korn Ferry Tour Player of the Year and 2020 PGA Tour Rookie of the Year shot 7-under-par 63 on the Seaside Course to grab a spot on the first page of the leaderboard.

He is three shots behind Sebastian Munoz, who tied the Seaside Course record with a 60.

Scottie Scheffler of the United States watches his shot on the 17th hole during the first round of The RSM Classic on the Seaside Course at Sea Island Resort on November 18, 2021, in St Simons Island, Georgia. (Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images)

“It’s great,” Scheffler said of his new partnership. “Teddy’s a real positive influence. We were in a good mood all day. He did a good job helping me stay patient, not overthink things out there.

“I really just think the world of him as a person, so for me, that’s why I was attracted to him just being a potential good partner for me out on the course. We’ll just see how things go right now. Today was a lot of fun and we’ll go from there.”

Scheffler’s 63 could have been even lower as he burned at least four edges of the cup on three birdie putts and one eagle putt. After staying patient, as he said, with the help of Scott’s soft-toned encouragement, Scheffler finally saw a 23-footer drop for birdie on his 16th hole. He then made a 20-footer for birdie on his 17th hole and a 25-footer for birdie on his 18th.

“I didn’t really feel like I was hitting bad putts, so it was pretty easy for me to stay patient just because, I mean, nothing you can really do,” said Scheffler, who is ranked 17th in the world. “I was hitting good putts most of the time at the appropriate speeds. Outside of that, they just weren’t falling. I knew if I kept hitting good putts, they’d fall.

“Luckily, they started falling today versus waiting for tomorrow.”

Scheffler, who earlier this year lost in the final to Billy Horschel in the World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play and took down world No. 1 Jon Rahm in Sunday singles as the U.S. crushed Europe in the Ryder Cup, is looking for his first PGA Tour title.

While he looks physically fine, he is attentive to the mental aspect of being in contention so much as he tries to win his first.

“I think playing a lot of weeks in a row, it’s really difficult to stay at a high level,” he said. “For me the last few weeks I knew I was going into this three‑week stretch, so I just did my best to get some rest before coming out and relaxing and getting a lot of rest outside of the course of events.

“This week’s been pretty chill.”

Especially, so far, with a new man carrying the bag.

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