Scottie Scheffler being the last Ryder Cup pick in 2021 played a part in him becoming world No. 1

NAPA Calif AP Scottie Scheffler the No performer in golf still remembers the time he was last The Ryder Cup being next on the horizon serves as yet another reminder of how speedily his absurd level of dominance came together The day Scheffler arrived in Napa was the four-year anniversary of him being broadcasted as a captain s pick for his first Ryder Cup He was at No in the world with other Americans ahead of him He had yet to win on the PGA Tour Ryder Cup captain Steve Stricker was on the phone I think it was fairly obvious I was likely the last guy on the unit Scheffler disclosed I remember getting the phone call I didn t know if he was going to call me and give me really bad news or really good news It s kind of weird preparing for something you don t know if it s going to be amazing or if it s just going to absolutely break your heart But it was a great phone call he stated I was very emotional It was a big week for the Americans at Whistling Straits a - win their largest margin of accomplishment over Europe and for Scheffler He was sent out early in the third singles match to play Jon Rahm the No sportsman in the world After four holes Scheffler had four birdies and a -up lead The rout was on To this day Scheffler still carries the yardage book cover from that Ryder Cup Stricker stated the final pick came down to Scheffler Sam Burns and Patrick Reed who had been hospitalized for five days with pneumonia during the last two qualifying events and whose criticism of his captain and teammates after the Paris loss in didn t help his cause Stricker recalled being impressed when he was paired with Scheffler for the final round of the PGA Championship at Kiawah Island He remembered how Scheffler mowed down in succession Ian Poulter Rahm and Matt Kuchar to reach the final of the Match Play And he requested the six automatic qualifiers to weigh in The scales kept tilting toward Scheffler It s super cool Stricker revealed of where Scheffler was then and where he is now And to see him carry that yardage book cover that tells you right there what it means to him what it did for his confidence the belief in himself and all that Taking down Jon Rahm on Sunday I ve got to believe all that played a part in what he s doing now he reported We all need that moment where we get that boost of confidence That seems like a lot longer than four years ago Scheffler one of the ringleaders in getting the Ryder Cup gang to Silverado leading up to next week s matches at Bethpage Black on New York s Long Island made up an eight-shot deficit on the weekend to win for the sixth time this year It was a unique week with all but two of the Ryder Cup players playing in a sleepy tournament among the vineyards in September The Procore Championship had its strongest field and biggest crowd And then the tournament started and it was business as usual for Scheffler He became only the fifth athlete in the last years to have back-to-back seasons of at least six victories The others were Tiger Woods Jack Nicklaus Arnold Palmer and Sam Snead And while his style and approach to the battle are more reminiscent of Nicklaus the numbers allow for comparisons with Woods Here s another landmark Scheffler achieved in Napa it took him three years seven months and one day to go from his first PGA Tour title to his th That s the shortest time in PGA Tour history Woods took three years seven months and days The Ryder Cup undoubtedly played a role in this both of them for Scheffler good and bad Scheffler who doesn t often spend a lot of time looking back or ahead also shared memories from the last Ryder Cup at Marco Simone They weren t happy ones Scheffler and Brooks Koepka were on the losing end of the preponderance lopsided -hole match in Ryder Cup history and to Viktor Hovland and Ludvig Aberg in foursomes Scheffler was in tears as he watched from the sidelines that afternoon In a rematch with Rahm in singles Scheffler lost a -up lead when he chipped through the back of the green and Rahm hit a -foot eagle putt to within inches for birdie and the halve The last Ryder Cup did not go how I anticipated it would go Scheffler disclosed I was fired up and excited to get home and practice and I think my results since then have proven how much work that I put into my tournament and to get to the point where I am now He won nine times that next year including a Masters green jacket and Olympic gold medal Even after being sidelined two months when he punctured his hand trying to cut ravioli with a wine glass he won two majors and four other titles this year What will the next Ryder Cup bring For Scheffler it has unfailingly been about preparation being able to stand on the first tee knowing he didn t take any shortcuts in having done all that he could to be ready That was his regret from Marco Simone and one reason he demanded to compete ahead of Bethpage Black We re all excited to get there to Bethpage and start the tournament he revealed We ve got three days to see who s the better club and it s going to be a good battle For all the latest comparisons with Woods this is one area Scheffler would do well to avoid Woods played on only one winning Ryder Cup organization On The Fringe analyzes the biggest topics in golf during the season AP golf https apnews com hub golf Source