AT&T BYRON NELSON

May 10, 2023

Scottie Scheffler

TPC Craig Ranch

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: We would like to welcome Scottie Scheffler to the interview room here at the AT&T Byron Nelson. You'll be making your fifth start here at the tournament, the tournament where you made your PGA TOUR debut. Just get some opening comments on what it's like to be back here for a home tournament.

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: Yeah, home weeks are always nice. It's good to get to sleep in my own bed and just spend some time at home. We've got a couple friends coming in this weekend, so get to hang out with everybody. Always good to be back here at the Nelson. I've got special memories playing this tournament. Definitely excited to be back.

Q. What have you been up to since RBC Heritage with some of the weeks off?

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: Not too much. Just trying to get some rest. I didn't do too much at home. I was just trying to relax and get a little practice in and pretty much just rest. I got pretty tired after the Masters, and that's pretty typical of a major. They kind of wear you down. It was good just to get a little mental rest.

Q. What's it like to have a home game to be able to sleep in your own bed this week?

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: Yeah, sleeping in your own bed is nice. I didn't come out here until today, which is unusual for me at a tournament. Usually I spend a lot of time at the course. It's good for me to be able to practice at my home course and get some work in kind of off property where there's not as much going on, and definitely nice to be able to go home every night.

Q. This year everything statistically, strokes gained is improved, other than the putting. Is there anything in particular you've seen with the putting where maybe that's a little bit behind the game or anything you've worked on the past few weeks?

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: I just feel like I've seen a lot of putts that I've really thought were going to go in that haven't. I'm usually pretty dangerous when my putter gets hot, so I've been working on it pretty good.

Yeah, just hoping to see some putts go in. Instead of lipping out, maybe lipping in.

Q. On a different topic, we know a lot about the relationship between you and your father and what that's meant to you. This weekend is Mother's Day weekend. Just wanting to know the influence that your mom has had on your golf career and your life in general.

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: Yeah, I was fortunate to grow up in a home with two parents that loved all of us very dearly, and my mom was the one who was working and supporting our family financially, which I would say is a little bit different.

My mom, she started working in New York City and then her job took her down here to Dallas, so she worked really hard for a long time to not only support my career goals traveling around the country playing golf and stuff like that, but my sister's, as well. My mom is obviously very special to me.

Q. Being her job was the reason you moved down to Texas; do you ever think about how your life would have changed if you guys would have stayed where you were?

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: I mean, I didn't really know any better. I'm sure my parents think about that. But yeah, they spend some time back in the city now. My mom is working up there again, so I think they're enjoying being back. They're empty nesters now, living in the city.

I'm sure they wonder. They took a pretty big risk moving their whole family across the country. I think we were eight, six, four and two when we moved, so that's a pretty big change, especially when you've got the eight- and the six-year-old in school, and you take them out of school in the middle of the year. Pretty big risk, but our family loves Dallas, and it feels like home to me.

Q. You've obviously had rest in this last month. How do you feel your game has been in that time as you enter this weekend?

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: Well, I'm just trying to gear up. This week is a good prep week for me. It's nice to be at home and get to play some tournament golf, and I'm excited to be here at the Nelson. It's a tournament that I always play in and it's a lot of fun playing in front of the home crowd.

Q. How much would winning in front of your hometown crowd mean to you this weekend?

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: It would certainly be a lot of fun, that's for sure. Like I said earlier, this tournament is special to me, getting to play in high school. I have very special memories of this tournament. Obviously a different golf course now, but still a good test, and just looking forward to getting out there and competing this week.

Q. Going into the Masters, were you planning on taking a break, or did that just happen after you played in that tournament?

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: No, I planned my schedule at the beginning of the year. With the new schedule and all the elevated events, I was able to kind of really plan where I was going to play. I know for the most part pretty much every tournament I'm going to play the rest of the year, so that's how the schedule is set up.

Q. I'm just doing a survey, so I've got a couple of real quick questions for you. When you're at home, do you watch golf on TV?

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: Not really. Sometimes on Sundays if we're hanging out after church I'll turn it on in the background if we're just doing stuff around the house. I wouldn't say I watch too much golf.

Q. What's your thought on if the TOUR went to a rolled back ball?

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: Oh, rolled back the ball? I'm not too opinionated on it at the moment. I think I'm more interested in like kind of the golf course design side of things.

I think a lot of the golf courses that they've changed over time is to help with the length, but then they take out a lot of trees and the areas get bigger to hit in, and all you've got to do now is just send it. So the golf course design is more of a culprit to guys trying to hit it really far.

Look at Hilton Head, look at Colonial. Those golf courses have stood the test of time, and they've got stuff in the way. It's more of a placement golf course. Look at THE PLAYERS; guys can't overpower that one. It's more of a golf course design thing than it is a golf ball deal.

Q. What's your thought kind of yay or nay on no-cut event, a TOUR event that has no cut?

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: I mean, it doesn't really matter. Depends how many guys you put in the field and stuff like that. When you've got 156 guys in there, yeah, I'm definitely a big proponent of having a cut in the event, but when there's only 70, how much more can you really cut guys down.

Q. Just wanted to ask you about the PGA Championship coming up next week about your thoughts on Oak Hill, have you played it before, and if you have, your thoughts on the course?

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: I've never played Oak Hill. I've been to Rochester once before for an amateur tournament, and it was in June and I remember it was really cold. So that's kind of all I remember.

I know that it's a great golf course. I've heard it's very challenging. I think Teddy was telling me that Dufner maybe set the record at Oak Hill last time the tournament was there at like 10-under, so a record for a tournament being 10-under means it's typically pretty difficult. Now, I could be totally wrong on that, but it sounds like it's a hard course.

Q. I spent a couple hours with Mike Taylor and John Hatfield, a couple guys that said that they worked on your clubs growing up. Talk about that impact they had on you as a young kid going to the Nike R&D facility out there in Fort Worth and the impact that they had on your game as a kid.

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: Yeah, I was very fortunate that Nike treated me very well from a young age, and they were always supporting me and helping with my equipment and getting out there and getting to work with guys that are true professionals when you're 13, 14 years old and getting to learn about golf clubs and how they design them and getting to test them out.

I can't really describe how much of an impact that had because it was so significant, and I loved being able to work with those guys. They're so talented, and they had a huge impact on my golf career. Nike really as a whole just treated me good from a young age.

Q. Do you have a personal relationship with either of those guys, Mike Taylor or John Hatfield?

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: Yeah, so I used to use Mike's wedges out here on TOUR, and I know John, and they've helped me from time to time. I haven't seen them in a little while, but they helped me from a young age, so I'll probably never forget those guys.

Q. You mentioned earlier that it's unusual to wait until today to come out here. What was the reasoning behind that? Just trying to take a little longer break, you know the course really well, didn't need to play it? What were you thinking?

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: I know the course pretty well, and it's easier for me to practice at my home course than it is out here. That's pretty much it.

Q. 17's stadium style, what did you think of that when you saw it today?

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: So I haven't seen it yet this year. I played the front nine today. I heard they built another level -- did they build another level out here? I heard they did. Yeah, last year it was awesome, so if they built another level, it could only enhance the fun, right? Yeah, looking forward to it. I'll be surprised tomorrow when we see it. I think we're late tomorrow, so it should be a good crowd.

Q. You spoke about playing here as an amateur. What is it like now coming back here as a major champion and a headliner that they're using Scottie Scheffler as a reason to come out here and watch the Byron Nelson?

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: Yeah, it's definitely a bit different than when I came here in high school. I feel like I'm a little bit more a part of this things than I was then, but I was just fortunate to get a spot and come out and play. Now I guess coming full circle out here is a little different scenario, and it's a lot of fun being able to play in front of the home crowd.

Now that I've had some success out here on TOUR, there's a lot more people that will show up to watch me, which is great. I'm fortunate to be able to come out here and support an event that supported me from a young age, and I'm looking forward to going out there and playing in front of the home crowd and hopefully making some birdies.

Q. Which character do you think you relate to most on "The Office"?

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: I feel like when you get a comedy show, I've got to be careful trying to relate too much to the characters in the show. Gosh, I don't know, I'm going no comment on that one.

Q. You played with Marty today; you've known him since you were a little kid. Just talk about playing with him today and if you've been keeping up with the Stars.

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: Oh, playing with Marty? So Marty was a member at Royal Oaks where I grew up, and yeah, rooting hard for the Stars. The games are coming on a little bit late for me, though. Hopefully they keep making it further and further so I can stay awake for the games.

Yeah, a lot of fun playing with Marty. He's retired now, but he's always treated me nice, and it's fun just getting to hang with him, and go Stars.

Q. I've heard you say quite a few times you still feel like the same guy that you did a couple of years ago before you found all the success out here on TOUR. I'm wondering what you've learned about yourself and the connection between mental health and mental wellness off the course and the success that you've found on the course.

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: Yeah, well, for me golf doesn't define who I am as a person. If I shoot 75 here tomorrow in the tournament, I'm not going to be defined by the 75, and it's going to be the same thing if I shoot 59. I'm not going to be any different because I played good or if I played bad. Golf is just something that I do, it doesn't define who I am, and that's pretty much how I'm trying to live.

I don't want to change because I'm good, and I definitely don't want to change if I start playing bad. I value the opinions of people close to me, and that's what's most important.

Q. Not to throw you too much of a curve ball, but putting a piece together on Muirfield Village and just wondering about that 18th hole and the finishing challenge that it presents.

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: Yeah, I feel like every hole is hard at Muirfield. It doesn't really give you much of a break. I like the uphill par-4 to finish. I think that's fun.

I think with new golf course design that's kind of rare. I don't know if I'm 100 percent correct on that, but the nice uphill finish is cool. You've got to hit the fairway. If you don't hit the fairway, you're going to be in trouble, and if you do hit the fairway, then you're trying to hit a shot into that green, which is also really difficult, and it's a hole where you can make a birdie to win or you can just as easily make a bogey to lose.