The drive for an exceptional 2026 season is off to a rousing start for Scottie Scheffler, who began his year with a championship at the American Express a week ago Sunday in La Quinta, Calif.
That title was the 20th of Scheffler's career, which earned him lifetime status on the PGA Tour. Nonetheless, the 29-year-old is wasting no time chasing No. 21 as the Phoenix Open tees off yesterday.
The Scottsdale, Ariz. event is famous for its crowd involvement, and Scheffler welcomes the big stage.
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Scheffler is certainly familiar with the setup as a two-time winner at this event (2022, 2023), though he'll also be hoping to improve on last year's respectable showing, a 9-under performance that left him in a tie for 25th.
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The first of his Phoenix championships was the first of his PGA career.
His competition will naturally be a bigger concern than the crowd or his history on the course, and Brooks Koepka is once again a part of that field, continuing his return from LIV Golf. Scheffler expressed appreciation for having Koepka and Patrick Reed back on the Tour.
Part of embracing the challenge of winning another championship, Scheffler explained, is leaning into the razor-thin margin between delight and disaster on the finishing holes.
A course like TPC Scottsdale demands excellence late and, for Scheffler, that's all part of the fun. "You look at even the second shot on 15. If you hit a really good shot there, you can get a really good look for eagle, but if you hit a poor shot you're going to be in the water staring bogey in the face." -Reuters
