SENTRY TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS

January 6, 2023

Scottie Scheffler

Plantation Course at Kapalua

Quick Quotes

Q. Something kind of click down those last four holes or just kind of those holes are just really good?

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: Those holes are obviously a little bit easier. But birdies are never easy. It's still golf. You still got to hit really good shots, and I was able to make some nice putts there at the end. Hit a really good shot into 15, good wedge shot into 16 and 17, and then a really good lag putt there on 18 -- or sorry, really good second putt on 18.

Q. Overall, what was working so well overall in the whole round?

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: I think I was just giving myself a lot of looks, opportunities. I made a few mistakes that were frustrating, but I did a good job of staying patient and just kind of keep plucking along.

Q. Did you get distracted at all by your beautiful shirt that you were playing in today?

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: You know, when I put it on this morning, I was kind of wondering how I'm going to do this because there's so much going on. This isn't my typical attire, but I got used to it pretty quick.

Q. Is there anything that you've been working on in the off-season that you put into play the last couple days that seems to be working?

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: I'm always kind of fine-tuning things, and I would say it seems to be working. Just trying to get comfortable with what I'm doing and a new year and stuff like that. So I'm off to a solid start and hoping to continue it the next couple of days.

Q. What would be an example of something you're fine-tuning?

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: Just stuff with my putting stroke and then, I mean, if you want to go all the way across the --

Q. All the way.

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: All the way? Still always learning to hit more shots and controlling the ball on the range and just practicing short game.

Q. What happens to your putting stroke?

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: Sometimes the putts stop going in and I'm trying to figure out why.

Q. Your short game, how is it different here than most of the rest of the year? Is it because of some of the lies you get?

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: I mean, it's very grainy here and the rough is pretty healthy. Sometimes you could find yourself where you hit a good shot into the green and all of a sudden you catch a slope and you're 40 yards away, and so it's trying to control your ball into the greens and then missing in the right spots.

Q. What frustrated you about the bogies?

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: I mean, like, No. 6 I think I bogeyed. I hit just like a terrible, terrible tee shot. I mean, awful. Any other course I feel like it would have been out of bounds, it was so bad.

Then I got a good break. Stayed in play. What I was most frustrated with was I just wasn't committed to my putt. Matt was on the other side of the hole putting across. We were on the same line. He was on this side. I was on this of the cup. His putt kind of hung out there and I really felt like mine was going to break and I just didn't commit to it and ended up missing it. So that was frustrating.

And then 13, hit a poor drive, but after that, hit really good shots and just didn't get rewarded for it.

Q. When you play with somebody, and I know this goes on all the time across years and careers, etcetera, and you've done battle with them, whether it was Cantlay in Phoenix or Matt, do you guys ever talk about it?

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: Sometimes. I would say Matt and I had some good battles this year, U.S. Open being one of 'em and then Match Play we had a long one as well.

But it's funny, they do the announcements here on the 1st tee first and they announce my four wins, and Billy kind of cracked a joke. And then Matt gets up, and they announce the 2022 U.S. Open winner, and he goes, Take that. There's one you didn't win (laughing.)

So just little fun stuff like that. It's fun, both of us accomplished some great things last year winning major championships, and so it's fun being here at Kapalua and being able to look back on stuff like that.

Q. What crack did Billy make?

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: About mine? He called me something I'm not going to tell you. It was greedy followed by another word.