Scottie Scheffler can become the second player in golf history this week to win The Players Championship a third time, yet he doesn’t appear to have made a crucial equipment decision yet.
It may not seem like the best time of year for the world’s No. 1 player to tinker with his driver, but Scheffler sounded even-keeled as always when discussing the topic Tuesday at TPC Sawgrass.
“I mean, is it an uncomfortable time of year to be working on it? I mean, not really,” Scheffler said. “I think you’re always kind of looking for ways that you can get better. So I’m always looking for ways that I can improve my game.”
Scheffler had long played a TaylorMade Qi10 but switched to the manufacturer’s new Qi4D last week at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, following Rory McIlroy and other stars. Scheffler proceeded to finish T24 and never shot better than 70.
“So I think when you look at the driver, I think there’s always little things you can do to improve, but you got to toe the line, I think, between improving and sticking with the stuff that also works really well,” Scheffler said. “So there’s always that kind of fine line in golf. Like you see guys trying to get a bunch of speed and then it’s like, OK, we gained a bunch of speed but now the irons are getting a little bit worse; I’m having trouble with my distance control. There’s always a little bit of give and take.”
Scheffler suggested new technology has its benefits and drawbacks as it relates to how it fits his game, and he was “still kind of working through” the decision between two models.
When asked again whether he would keep the newer driver in his bag for this week’s unofficial fifth major, Scheffler quipped, “That was a really long-winded way of saying no comment. I don’t know if you could pick up on that.”
Scheffler has missed the top 10 in his past two starts, which is startling consider top 10 finishes became routine for him last year. Starting with the Houston Open in the last week of March, he earned a top 10 finish in 15 straight events — highlighted by his wins in the PGA Championship, the Open Championship, the Memorial and the BMW Championship.
He opened this season by winning The American Express, but has started tournaments slow ever since.
Scheffler prevailed at The Players in 2023 and 2024, the first player to go back-to-back at the PGA Tour’s flagship event. McIlroy took the mantle last year by beating J.J. Spaun in a playoff.
The 29-year-old believes TPC Sawgrass provides more varied challenges than tour members tend to see during the season.
“I think when you look at this golf course, I think you see a variety of winners, and you also don’t see one style of player winning this tournament a bunch of times,” Scheffler said. “When you look at the golf course, I think it’s so unique in a sense of, the way modern golf is kind of trending, I think this place you kind of take some steps back where the areas to hit into are small. And there’s certain holes where you can definitely take advantage of your length if you’re a longer hitter. But there’s also some holes where you got to get the ball in play, and you have to be able to curve the ball both directions.”
Of course, the property is most famous for the island green at the par-3 17th hole, which Scheffler referenced when asked whether Sawgrass needed more water.
“There’s a lot of water out there,” he said with a laugh. “There’s one hole that’s surrounded by water, in fact.”
