WGC DELL TECHNOLOGIES MATCH PLAY

March 27, 2022

Scottie Scheffler

Austin Country Club

Press Conference

LAURA VESCOVI: We'll get things started here. First off I'd like to congratulate the 2022 World Golf Championships Dell Technologies Match Play champion Scottie Scheffler.

This was a really big win for you, as was that shot. Just talk about your emotions. You were obviously runner up here last year, third win this season. It's been a great season for you. Thoughts and emotions coming off of the green today.

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: Yeah, definitely a lot of emotion coming off the green today. It's been kind of a crazy past few months. I got my first win in Phoenix, and then I guess this is my third now, and golly, what a long week.

I really don't know how to describe the emotion. I've thought about winning this tournament ever since last year. It left kind of a poor taste in my mouth getting so close and ultimately coming up short.

So it feels really good to finish the job this time around.

LAURA NEAL: This win brings you to No. 1 in the world. What does that mean to you? I heard you out on the green talking about the dreams you've had as a golfer growing up. Reaching World No. 1 today, those emotions, and your family here.

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: Yeah, pretty cool to do that in front of my family. They've supported me so much along the way, and I really don't know what to say about that. I don't feel like that. I don't feel like No. 1 in the world. I feel like the same guy I was four months ago, and I hope that doesn't change.

Yeah, I don't feel any different.

Q. I wanted to ask you, you kind of touched on this, but as much as you enjoy competing and as much as you love winning, was there anything extra special about doing it this week? Because it felt like you were more focused than usual maybe.

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: Yeah, I would say this week it's definitely got a special place in my mind and heart. I've got a lot of good memories being here in college. It's been a long journey to this point.

I had some pretty low points in college where I really fought my swing and I fought some injuries. I fought a lot of stuff during college.

To be out here and win this golf tournament in front of the fans down here is really special.

Like I said, I always dreamed of playing in this tournament, and just to be out here was a treat, and to be able to play seven rounds and finish and win is really special.

Q. As little as you pay attention to peripheral stuff, when did you realize that winning this tournament would take you to No. 1?

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: I think Todd Lewis asked me that maybe yesterday evening after my second match, or maybe the day before. Honestly I can't remember. It's a long week. It's a long week.

To be honest with you, it never really crossed my mind today probably until the last green, and I kind of had to snap out of it because Kis is a pretty good putter, and if he rolls that one in, it can really change the match.

Up until that point I don't think he'd won a hole. I saw him come back against Adam Scott in the beginning of the week and I definitely didn't want to meet the same fate as Scotty, and so I blocked is out really quickly, and there was a lot of emotion after the match was done.

Q. Can you talk us through 12? Here you are, things look a little different for a second, and then to do what you did, really at that point in the match, too, with Kevin maybe getting some momentum perhaps that changed a lot of things?

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: Yeah. I would say Kevin played some pretty solid golf today. With the way the wind was blowing and how gusty it was and the green firmness was getting up and the pins were definitely challenging, it was tough to make birdies out there.

I kind of kept reminding myself to stay patient. When you build up a lead on a guy like Kevin, it never really feels safe, kind of like my lead this morning on Dustin. I never felt safe. Dustin definitely proved it wasn't safe this morning.

I would just say it got tougher as the afternoon went on. As the wind picked up it was really tough to make birdies.

You asked about No. 12? Going into 12 I hit a great putt on 11 I thought was going to go in and it didn't, so I think I was 3-up at the time and hit a great drive, really good second shot, and then that pitch was really awkward.

I would say I got a little bit aggressive with my line. I wanted to hit a really cool shot and kind of -- that was maybe show off a little bit. That was definitely maybe a little mental error on my part.

I just didn't really react to it. I knew that I made the mistake. I didn't get a bad break, didn't get screwed or anything like that. I just hit a poor shot, and it was really one of the few poor shots I hit today.

The bunker shot wasn't long. I was trying to make it. Just hit it on line and I was fortunate to do that, and it definitely was fortunate to see it go in, as well, and keep the momentum on my side.

Q. I saw you say to Katherine that you never envisioned this in your dreams. What was your ceiling? What did you see yourself as as a kid if you didn't see World No. 1?

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: It's not something that I didn't want to achieve or didn't believe that I could do. It's just I grew up at Royal Oaks. I grew up wearing long pants to go practice because I wanted to be a professional golfer.

That's what I dreamed of. I dreamed of being out here. I've always been, I would say, fiercely competitive, and so for me getting out here was a goal per se, and being out here, I like competing and I enjoy the challenge of playing out here every week. Just competing out here is really fun for me and just being able to win tournaments is pretty awesome.

The rankings never really crossed my mind. It was always just about being out here and competing.

Q. 43 days ago you didn't have a win. Now you've got three and you're No. 1 in the world. What took you so long?

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: That's a good question. I don't know. I guess I'm making up for a little bit of lost time maybe the last few weeks.

I really don't know what to say. My head is kind of spinning right now, to be honest with you. I'm obviously pretty happy, and I really can't put into words what it felt like after Kevin conceded my six-inch putt or whatever.

My head has just been kind of spinning. We took a lot of photos and now I'm sitting in here with you guys.

Q. The expectations just going to take off now for you? You've competed in majors and had a bunch of top 10 finishes. Do you think you're ready to win a major?

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: Maybe y'all's expectations of me. I don't place too many expectations on myself. Like I said, I just like being out here and competing. I'm fortunate to have the opportunity to do that, and I look forward to doing it as long as you can.

Q. Is there one thing about your game, to play this well all the time or a lot of the time, what do you want to work on? Not that you have any weaknesses, but is there one phase you'd like to improve?

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: I'd like to improve across the board. I feel like you can always be improving, and I'm not going to revamp my swing or do anything crazy. I'm just going to keep trying to make those incremental improvements and keep my head down and keep working hard.

I would say that's probably most important, just keep my head down and keep working.

Q. Lastly, are you going to splurge, buy your wife something?

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: Yeah, maybe buy my wife something if she lets me. No. She's shaking her head no, so no.

Q. How many feet was that shot that you just made with the water bottle? Was that 30, 40?

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: Pretty good. I missed it the other day, so it was nice. I'm 1 for 2 now.

Q. I referenced that because I was talking to your family and they said you had chances at five sports growing up. You didn't specialize early. Were any of them something you may have taken on instead of this at any stage?

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: Yeah, I have a lot of different passions. Sports is definitely one of them. I love table tennis. I played basketball all the way through high school.

I think that was important for me growing up. I never considered myself to be a golfer or anything. I worked hard in school. My parents encouraged me to do that and encouraged me to spread it around a little bit and not focus too much on one thing.

I had a great childhood. I was fortunate to be able to play all those different sports and have some fun with it.

Q. Was there ever a point that you might have gone with another one of those sports?

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: No. I'm not that athletic.

Q. Your sisters all say that you've always been competitive and also grounded. With World No. 1 comes a lot of things coming your way, which I'm sure you'll start to experience, but do you assume that they'll keep you, along with Meredith, in check if anything goes wrong?

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: I'm sure. Meredith, she knows what kind of goes on out here, but Meredith I would say was definitely not aware last night before I told her that if I won today I would be No. 1 in the world. She had no idea. I told her that because I want her to be able to experience these things with me, because she doesn't care what I'm ranked in the world, obviously.

She gets to see how hard I work. She's seen the failures I've had over time and the sadness that comes with trying to achieve something and not being able to succeed at it. She told me last night that that's not going to happen. (Laughter.)

Q. Your sisters said that growing up you always did the right thing and played games with them, even if they were, you know, more on their side of what they wanted to do, whether it be house or school or whatever it might be. What did you make them do competitively?

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: Well, they always had kind of a 3 to 1 vote on me. I would say they traveled probably to way too many golf tournaments that they didn't want to, but they're troopers, and they had some fun with it. I'm fortunate to have their support.

Q. Not to really dumb this down, but what club did you hit on 16 against DJ?

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: Against DJ? 16? 3-iron.

Q. I was curious about this because you were the only one who didn't stop and do a quick TV interview between rounds. That's okay. I'm just curious if there was an intent behind that and was there any part of you that didn't want the question of, gee, one more and you're No. 1 in the world and one other thing in your head?

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: Yeah. Like I said, I just was trying to keep my head down this week. I think that was the first time I ever have declined doing anything media-wise was after my match with Fitzy in the morning on Friday, because I thought we were going to go straight into the playoff and I was basically like, hey, guys I need to go get some rest and get ready for the playoff.

And I found out we had to wait three hours or whatever and I was like, okay, fine, I'll do it now. But yesterday after my match with Billy I was exhausted. I really was. I needed to go inside and regroup, and honestly to answer any questions and think about the stakes or anything more than me just accomplishing the goal of playing good golf was really too much for me at the time. I was really tired.

This afternoon I definitely knew the questions y'all were going to ask me, and I didn't need to answer them at the time. If I didn't win I could come in here and answer them, but doing it beforehand, it felt weird and it didn't sit right with me.

I didn't want to have to answer those questions, so I didn't, and thank you all for supporting me with that and I'm glad to be talking to you guys now.

Q. Did you come to the Match Play?

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: Oh, yeah. Yeah, we used to always come. I probably came two or three times. I don't think it started until --

Q. There's a picture of you in 2016 with Meredith.

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: Yeah, we were pretty fortunate to get some tickets and come out here and watch. The tickets were pretty hard to come back so we were pretty fortunate just to come out here and watch. Yeah.

Q. Did you get good parking?

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: No. No. We used to -- one of my buddies actually lived across the bridge and kind of up 2222 maybe a half mile, so we used to park at his house and then walk down or Uber down, whatever it was. No parking.

Q. Did you ever have a strategy watching golf? Did you follow one person? Did you hang out at a hole?

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: I would always try to watch somebody. So like I remember watching Rory hit balls on the range and I remember hearing the noise that his club head hitting the ball made and being like kind of taken aback, like wow, this was hit really solid.

I just remember watching and kind of studying those guys and just seeing what I could learn just because there's so many talented guys out here and there's so much I can learn from them that any tidbit I could pick up on was going to be beneficial.