U.S. OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP 2022

June 19, 2022

Scottie Scheffler

The Country Club

Flash Interview

THE MODERATOR: We have Scottie Scheffler here. 3-under 67. Can you talk us through the final round?

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: Got off to a really good start. Hit a lot of good shots out there. I drove it well, hit it good. I putted pretty good too. I played well today. I was just one shot short.

This week I hit some of the worst shots I've hit in my career, and I've hit some of the best ones. So it was kind of a roller coaster week. To be at the end was definitely a lot of fun. Unfortunately, just came up one shot short.

Q. One shot short is a disappointment. Are there any positive take-aways from this week?

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: My game is still in a good spot. Gave myself a chance to win the U.S. Open. Performed really well today under a lot of pressure. I made some key putts there in the beginning to kind of get today going.

I just played some quality golf. It just so happened the putts were going around the edge instead of in. That's kind of what it felt like was happening most of the week. I was hitting a lot of good putts, and they just weren't falling. A few breaks here or there, and I would be the one holding the trophy.

Tip of the hat to Fitzy. He's been playing really good golf, and he definitely deserved to win this event. I don't know if you guys noticed, but I feel like he has made some extreme improvements off the tee in a matter of months.

I played with him in Austin this year, and he was not hitting it nearly as far as he is now. I don't know what he was doing. Maybe he was on the Bryson program or something. He's hitting the ball really well and has been knocking on the door for a long time. He definitely deserves this win.

Q. You spent some time around Will. After going through this as many times as he has, the near misses, how does he process that? He seems to feed on it and get stronger almost.

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: Will is a really talented player. He's strong mentally. That's why he performs so well. It just so happens the last two majors he's been up against great champions in Fitzy and Justin Thomas.

It's one of those deals where you keep knocking on the door and keep putting yourself in position, and he'll come through. I'm sure he'll win one of these when it's all said and done.

I was watching the putt on 18. When it was two feet out, I was like, oh, yeah, that one's in, and for some reason it went off to the left. It's one of those deals. You've got to get the breaks. Will is tough mentally. He'll bounce back from this.

Q. How do you feel at the end of the day? Just mentally and emotionally, being in position leading a major. I know you talked a little bit at Masters what that was like for you, and how did that feel today kind of being back in a similar spot?

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: It was a lot of fun. I don't know if I ever got the solo lead today, but I put myself in position where I was coming from behind. I got off to a hot start, and I knew I was going to be right there.

I played really good golf. I hit a ton of quality shots. I look at those bogeys on 10 and 11 and really didn't hit a bad shot.

The one on 10 I thought was going to be in the fairway. The wind just didn't hit it. It ended up in the downslope there in the rough. Just was in a position where it was really hard to get on the green and hit a fantastic shot. Goes over. Hit a lot of good shots and walk away with 5.

On 11 I hit another good shot again. A nice low wedge shot in there and ended up in position where it was a really hard par. After that, I just kept trying to keep plugging along and hit good shots. The putts were going around the hole instead of in today. It was definitely a fun ride, for sure.

Q. What does it mean just that you and Will, two guys from Dallas being in position this weekend, both being where you were. How fun was that, I guess, for the two of you, being from the same area essentially?

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: A ton of fun. We were competing against each other in moments like this when we were 8 in nine-hole tournaments. Being able to do it 72 holes at the U.S. Open is pretty special. Hope to do it a few more times.

Once again, tip of the cap to Fitzy. He's been playing good golf. He definitely deserved to win this one.

Q. I know you're the Masters champion, and that's great, but there must be nothing like trying to win your national Open. I just wonder if you could maybe articulate what that's like to be in the thick of it.

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: I'll try. I'd just say it's really a lot of fun. The crowds were crazy this week. They were really, really going nuts, and it was a ton of fun. Definitely to have their support was really enjoyable.

It's just really special to kind of have the crowd behind you and to make big putts and to hit important shots. I enjoyed today a lot. Unfortunately, just was one shot short, but it was really special being able to compete at this tournament.

Q. It's all intense, but is this a little bit more intense, a U.S. Open?

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: Yeah. I mean, the environment out there was definitely intense. There was a lot of people. There was a lot of screaming. It was a lot of fun to be a part of.

Q. Are you leaving here today with any woulda, shoulda, couldas, or just the no regrets mentality?

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: I can't control what's in the past. I'll definitely learned from what happened. Today was one of those days I was playing from behind and put myself in position to win the tournament. I played good golf, but it wasn't good enough.

There's definitely a few things I could have done differently, but I'm not going to waste time thinking about it. I'm going to recover from this and move on and hopefully be better from here.

Q. What's your take away from The Country Club as a U.S. Open venue?

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: I thought it was pretty cool. Yeah, really don't know what else to say. It was a good setup.

Q. What did you like about it?

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: Nothing unfair, nothing crazy. It was just a good test. Especially a day like today where the wind actually calmed down a little bit. When you're hitting quality shots, you're going to get rewarded for them.

Then the last three days with the winds we played in, coming out of our wave it was really difficult, and we kind of grinded it out. It was a ton of fun. It's enjoyable to be able to battle against this golf course.

Q. I apologize if you were asked this already, but it felt like in that final group the energy and the noise was kind of building and building as they went through that back nine, and to be in front of that, I wonder, do you feel it? Is it hard to kind of play with a lot of that behind you, like not knowing what's going on?

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: Not really. I kind of had to keep plucking along. I can only control what I'm doing out there. I was trying to do the best I could. I put myself in some good positions on the back nine, and I just wasn't able to convert. The energy out there was really cool for sure.