World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler defeated Tom King in a playoff at the Travelers Championship to become the first golfer since Arnold Palmer in 1962 to win six times on the PGA Tour before July.
In the blog below, the reigning Masters champion reflects on his experience of defeating his friend to victory, rather than defining himself by victory, and how he is looking forward to competing for Team USA at the 2024 Olympics in Paris…
Winning my sixth tournament is very special, it’s been a great season. I’ve been lucky enough to win a few tournaments, which has been fun. Tom King gave it his all, and it was fun to play against him. He’s one of my best friends, and we play golf together a lot, both in Dallas and on the tour.
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Travelers Championship final round highlights: Scheffler beats Tom King in playoff
Competing with friends is always fun, but it's also very tough. Then when I saw him bogey in the playoff, I was sad because that was my friend. However, Tom should remember his putt on the 18th hole (which went into the playoff in regulation) because that putt was very special.
I'm sure he'll remember this for a long time. He's used to making big putts. He has a good mentality to play here for a long time, and he's only 22 years old. I told him he's a great player and a great champion, and I'm proud of him.
In the final round, the putts were hanging right around the fringe and I felt like I hit a lot of good putts, especially on the back nine. Man, it was tough watching every ball roll over the fringe, but I kept working at it and persevered.
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I think standing on the 13th tee, we were tied, and I told myself that if I could make three birdies in the last six holes, I'd at least be in a playoff. That put me in a different mindset because I felt like I was hitting a lot of good shots, but I wasn't hitting as many birdies as I would have liked, and if I stayed patient, I could hit some birdies, which I did.
Scheffler: The Olympics will be very special
I feel like I don't always win in tournaments because it's more of a tiebreaker. Most of my wins have come on some tough golf courses, so it's great to be out here where putting is so important and getting the ball into the right hole when you need to is so important.
As most of you know, I try not to look back or forward. I've been lucky enough to have some wins this year, which has been fun. I've put in a lot of hard work and have won some trophies, which I'm really grateful for.
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After the Travelers Championship, Scheffler took his baby Bennett to participate in the championship interview
I have talked many times about how I don’t define myself by winning or losing, I will compete to the best of my ability and have the right attitude.
It's been a great year and I'm grateful to have had some wins, and I'm looking forward to playing in the Open, the Olympics and the FedEx Cup Playoffs. I think I'll make the Presidents Cup team and then I'll take some time off.
I think the Olympics are going to be very special. Any time you get to represent your country and wear the flag is something that not many people get to experience, and I'm proud to represent the United States.
I’m really grateful because this is something I’ve been looking forward to for a long time, and it’s going to be really special to go there and compete against the other three (Xander Schauffele, Collin Morikawa, and Wyndham Clark.) Hopefully we can bring some medals back for the United States.
I never set long-term goals, ever. Only by living in the present moment can I do my best. I have so-called dreams and aspirations, and those may never change, but as far as goals for this year, nothing really changes for me. I show up, and the most important thing for me is to have the right attitude and compete hard.
I feel like the team around me this year did a great job of picking my brain a little bit when my attitude wasn't so great. I feel like on the golf course, Teddy (caddie Ted Scott) and I played as tough this year as we've played in a long time, which was fun.
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