WM PHOENIX OPEN

February 10, 2023

Scottie Scheffler

TPC Scottsdale

Quick Quotes

Q. I think I know the answer to this because you don't really pay attention to all these things. But has all the talk about Rory and Jon Rahm kind of being 1 and 1A, does that light a fire under you at all?

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: Not really. I would probably have to agree. It's not like I'm sitting there saying I'm playing better than those guys right now. They have been winning tournaments and I've been kind of on the outside looking in. So no, I haven't really been paying attention to it too much.

Q. Looking forward to a potential showdown with Mr. Rahm this weekend?

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: Yeah, I mean that would be a lot of fun. It looks like right now we're 1 and 2 but we'll see how things shake out. A lot of guys still have a lot of golf out there to play. Should be a fun weekend.

Q. Were you able to see what happened to your ball on 16 as it happened today?

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: Yeah. Were you by the green?

Q. No.

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: Because it landed four paces left of the pin and was cutting. It should have been probably six feet on left side of the hole. It ended up being like 20 feet off the green. It was weird. Tough break.

Q. Then, again, on just being No. 1. You got there at the Match Play. Was there a moment before then that told you, I'm the best player in the world? Like when does it click in your head that you feel that way?

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: I don't know if you ever really truly feel that way. I think sometimes you're just playing with a lot of confidence. Any time you start perceiving yourself as something you kind of get into some issues. For me it's always worked best just to keep my head down and kind of go about things the way I've been doing it for a long time. Just keep plucking along and working hard.

Q. What was your mindset as you were watching your ball go off the green at 16 as it was happening?

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: Well my ball flew into the green kind of funny to where I could tell something was happening up there. Then the flags started whipping. Then all of a sudden my ball started going and people started booing me, which I didn't appreciate too much. It was a pretty good shot to be getting booed, but it happens.

Q. Overall on the golf course, other than that one huge gust of wind, seemed like the course was a little more scorable today. How were you able to take advantage of that on the golf course?

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: I think around this place when you're hitting fairways and you're hitting it well the golf course can kind of open up for you. But the opposite can happen in a hurry because there's trouble lurking on basically every hole. With there being desert close by. There's a lot of holes with water as well. When you're hitting it well you have to take advantage of it like I did today. Hopefully I'll keep putting the ball in position as the week goes on.

Q. Did the calmer wind for the most part, other than 16, really help you out on that?

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: It was definitely a bit calmer this morning than I thought it was going to be. We definitely had some weird gusts and stuff. It was kind of bouncing around a lot. I don't know if y'all noticed that. But the wind was really moving around. So it could be difficult to judge at times. But it was nice and warm, so it was good.

Q. What did it feel like playing the back nine twice in a row? Does it help with your momentum a little bit? You know that side has a different feel. Did it help you kind of keep that momentum?

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: Yeah, I guess so. When we were making the turn -- sorry, not making the turn. We finished our first round. I actually like was already planning on going straight to No. 1 because the turnaround was so quick. I had to remind myself to go to No. 10.

I didn't have the best back nine. I didn't do a good job of taking advantage of the par-5s back there. I had a good birdie on 12 and then good birdies and 17 and 18 to kind of get the rest of my round kick started.

Q. While you were playing Tiger announced that he's playing next week. There was so many guys in here who said that they kind of found out the news on the golf course. Did you?

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: I did not, no. I'm just hearing that now. That's exciting for us. It will be good to see him back out there next week.