NAPA, Calif. \u2014 Scottie Scheffler, the No. 1 player in golf, still remembers the time he was last.<\/p>\n
The Ryder Cup being next on the horizon serves as yet another reminder of how quickly his absurd level of dominance came together. The day Scheffler arrived in Napa was the four-year anniversary of him being announced as a captain\u2019s pick for his first Ryder Cup.<\/p>\n
He was at No. 21 in the world with 13 other Americans ahead of him. He had yet to win on the PGA Tour. Ryder Cup captain Steve Stricker was on the phone.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it was fairly obvious I was probably the last guy on the team,\u201d Scheffler said. \u201cI remember getting the phone call. I didn\u2019t know if he was going to call me and give me really bad news or really good news. It\u2019s kind of weird preparing for something you don\u2019t know if it\u2019s going to be amazing or if it\u2019s just going to absolutely break your heart.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut it was a great phone call,\u201d he said. \u201cI was very emotional.\u201d<\/p>\n
It was a big week for the Americans at Whistling Straits \u2014 a 19-9 win, their largest margin of victory over Europe \u2014 and for Scheffler. He was sent out early in the third singles match to play Jon Rahm, the No. 1 player in the world.<\/p>\n
After four holes, Scheffler had four birdies and a 4-up lead. The rout was on. To this day, Scheffler still carries the yardage book cover from that Ryder Cup.<\/p>\n
Stricker said the final pick came down to Scheffler, Sam Burns and Patrick Reed, who had been hospitalized for five days with pneumonia during the last two qualifying events, and whose criticism of his captain and teammates after the Paris loss in 2018 didn\u2019t help his cause.<\/p>\n
Stricker recalled being impressed when he was paired with Scheffler for the final round of the PGA Championship at Kiawah Island. He remembered how Scheffler mowed down in succession Ian Poulter, Rahm and Matt Kuchar to reach the final of the Match Play. And he asked the six automatic qualifiers to weigh in. The scales kept tilting toward Scheffler.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s super cool,\u201d Stricker said of where Scheffler was then and where he is now. \u201cAnd to see him carry that yardage book cover, that tells you right there what it means to him, what it did for his confidence, the belief in himself and all that.<\/p>\n
\u201cTaking down Jon Rahm on Sunday, I\u2019ve got to believe all that played a part in what he\u2019s doing now,\u201d he said. \u201cWe all need that moment where we get that boost of confidence.\u201d<\/p>\n
That seems like a lot longer than four years ago.<\/p>\n
Scheffler, one of the ringleaders in getting the Ryder Cup team to Silverado leading up to next week\u2019s matches at Bethpage Black on New York\u2019s Long Island, made up an eight-shot deficit on the weekend to win for the sixth time this year.<\/p>\n
It was a unique week with all but two of the Ryder Cup players playing in a sleepy tournament among the vineyards in September. The Procore Championship had its strongest field and biggest crowd. And then the tournament started, and it was business as usual for Scheffler.<\/p>\n
He became only the fifth player in the last 75 years to have back-to-back seasons of at least six victories. The others were Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer and Sam Snead.<\/p>\n
And while his style and approach to the game are more reminiscent of Nicklaus, the numbers allow for comparisons with Woods.<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s another landmark Scheffler achieved in Napa \u2014 it took him three years, seven months and one day to go from his first PGA Tour title to his 19th. That\u2019s the shortest time in PGA Tour history (Woods took three years, seven months and 22 days).<\/p>\n
The Ryder Cup undoubtedly played a role in this \u2014 both of them for Scheffler, good and bad.<\/p>\n