He doesn’t do a ton of interviews.

He doesn’t appear in a bunch of commercials.

He doesn’t run up and down the rope lines high fiving fans.

He doesn’t wear red on Sundays.

Like a silent assassin, Scottie Scheffler steps on the throats of the competition.

And wins.

And wins.

And wins.

Scheffler has won three majors, has three straight player of the year awards, and 15 total professional wins.

He is only 28 years old.

A year ago Scheffler had a season for the ages. He won 7 times, including a major and the Tour Championship. After a minor injury to start this season, Scheffler has played ten events. He finished top 25 in all of the events, 7 top tens, 5 top fives, and 2 wins. His latest victory was Sunday at the PGA Championship, securing his third major. It is still May and Scheffler has already cleared 10 million dollars in yearly earnings.

You are watching greatness, folks.

Here is a more complete look at Scheffler’s latest accomplishments.

 

In all of his career starts, Scheffler has finished top ten in over half of those events.

Barring injuries, Scheffler could shatter many PGA Tour records, and I’m sure it will all happen without fanfare. See, Scheffler just plays golf. Becoming a dad has only seemed to make Scheffler more focused on success. The only thing to make him lose concentration on golf was an overzealous Louisville cop. Scheffler is even capitalizing on that unfortunate event.

 

Scheffler is the greatest golfer on the planet, and only Tiger Woods was more dominant in the last 40 years. Yet, we don’t really talk about Scheffler like is deserved.

For quite a few years of Scheffler’s career we all waited on pins and needles to see if Tiger was going to play an event. We became obsessed with Tiger Watch. Then LIV Golf came on the scene and we pined over losing great players like Brooks Koepka, Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau and the carcass of Phil Mickelson. When the PGA Tour needed a face and a voice it was Rory McIlroy who stepped into that spotlight. It was necessary, and I have always applauded Rory for stepping up. Still, it was Scheffler that gave the best response to the constant questions about the defectors. In typical “man of few words” Scheffler style he simply told reporters to ask “those guys” since they were the players who left. It was perfect.

Even after Scheffler’s downright dominating 2024, it was McIlroy everyone was fawning over. Would he or wouldn’t he win the Masters and complete his career grand slam? He would, and Rory deserved the fawning. But when will we start fawning over Scheffler’s greatness?

Though it is hard to think Scheffler would eclipse Tiger’s crazy win total, he may actually be a better ball striker than even Woods. Steady is an understatement for Scheffler’s game. Once he got his putting woes fixed, he became almost impossible to beat. He is long off the tee, super accurate with his irons, great short game, and now steady with the putter.

The CBS crew kept emphasizing how Scheffler always hits the correct shot. They weren’t wrong. He never pulls a Phil. He never pulls a Rory. Mickelson and McIlroy are both great players, but they both often threw away tournaments —including majors— with dumb decisions. Scheffler? Not so much.

On Sunday, Scheffler was having swing issues on the front nine. He was pull hooking 80 percent of his shots and allowed the field to close in on him. His five shot lead disappeared faster than Rory McIlroy after a bad round. A mere mortal would have caved and watched the likes of Rahm and DeChambeau fly past him. In the end it was almost like Scheffler was toying with the other players. While they floundered on the back nine, Scheffler tweaked his swing and started making birdies again.

It is the unwavering steadiness that makes Scheffler great. Another thing is his willingness to change. His putting was holding him back from greatness a couple years ago. A switch to a mallet putter and claw grip and now Scheffler’s putting is on par with the rest of his game. He doesn’t make foolish mistakes and has the ability to overcome bad holes better than anyone else.

Scheffler makes Jack Nicklaus look flashy. Make no mistake, however, that Scheffler is as fiery as any other player at the top of their game.

 

Yep. Every once in a while it comes out.

The other thing great about Scheffler is his thoughtfulness towards the game. Conforming drivers was a huge topic at Quail Hollow. Scheffler acknowledged he had to change his driver, but went further to discuss how testing should be done.

 

Scheffler certainly never looks for any questionable advantages. He is a straight shooter who knows without saying it that he is better than everyone else straight up.

Finally, Scheffler’s other appeal is that despite making millions and millions and millions of dollars playing golf, he seems like just a dude you could relate to. Check out his comical answer about his “golf stuff”.

 

Just a guy.

Just a guy that is the most dominant golfer since prime Tiger Woods.

If you are a golf fan, don’t blink. There won’t be a lot of flash or noise, but you better believe that you are watching greatness.

Two Cent Takes

Golf

~Quail Hollow certainly provided a quality test, but I would still prefer them using unique courses that aren’t a regular Tour stop.

~The PGA Championship would be better off moving back to August.

~The LIV players are struggling in majors, and there can be no denying that. Bryson DeChambeau is the one exception. Dustin Johnson isn’t even competitive anymore. Brooks Koepka was left challenging a fan as he made his way off the course after missing the cut by a mile. Phil Mickelson took five shots to get out of a bunker. Jon Rahm tied for the lead on Sunday and then completely fell apart. Count that dirty money boys because that’s all you have at this point.

NFL

~There were unsubstantiated rumors the Steelers were working on a trade for WR Chris Olave from the Saints. That would be great. Get that deal done and then tell Aaron Rodgers to go back to his dark cave. Allow Mason Rudolph to start at quarterback this year and go get your next big time quarterback in next year’s draft.

~Brock Purdy is getting 181 million dollars in guaranteed money from his newly signed contract extension. Unreal. Not because Purdy was Mr. Irrelevant, but because he is very, very average.

NBA

~I think a final four of New York, Indiana, Minnesota, and Oklahoma City is good for the league. I know the league likes big market teams for ratings, and at least they have the Knicks for that, but different teams makes it more interesting for the general fan.

NHL

~Well,  my first Canadian winner since 1993 prediction took a major hit this week. Winnipeg, gone. Toronto, gone. I am down to the Edmonton Oilers for my prediction to come true. They will have to beat a really hot goalie in Dallas net minder Jake Oettinger.

~Toronto looked almost disinterested in game 7 against Florida. While Florida tries to make a third straight Stanley Cup finals, the Maple Leafs choke their way on to the golf course one more time.

MLB

~Minnesota won 13 games in a row. Great way to get back in the AL Central race. The division that was a laughingstock just a couple years ago, is now the best division in the American League. And lots of small market appeal.

~Phillies closer Jose Alvarado was suspended for 80 games, including a postseason ban, for using PED’s. This leaves a huge hole in an already questionable bullpen. Could we see a Tijuan Walker possible transition to the closer role? Obviously this makes the Phillies a possible trade partner for teams looking to move bullpen pieces.

~Orioles manager Brandon Hyde followed former Pirates manager Derek Shelton to the unemployment line. Like Shelton, Hyde wasn’t a great manager. But make no mistake about it, the Orioles woes are not on Hyde.

The Weekly Shiny Penny

The hockey handshake line has always been special. It was even more so when Dallas player and coaches all stopped to offer condolences to Winnipeg’s Mark Scheifele. Schiefele’s dad passed away unexpectedly the day of game 6. Schiefele decided to play based on what his family wanted and what his dad would have wanted.

 

A Penny For My Final Thought…

Ben Cherington is still employed by the Pittsburgh Pirates.

The Pirates are 15-33 in year six of the Cherington tenure.

Ben Cherington is still employed by the Pittsburgh Pirates.

The Pirates are 4-17 in their last 21 games.

Ben Cherington is still employed by the Pittsburgh Pirates.

The Pirates have scored more than 4 runs six total times this season, and haven’t done so in 24 games.

Ben Cherington is still employed by the Pittsburgh Pirates.

The Pirates have already been shut out an astonishing 8 times.

Ben Cherington is still employed by the Pittsburgh Pirates.

The Pirates are left with batting practice pitchers named Bednar and Holderman at the back end of the bullpen.

Ben Cherington is still employed by the Pittsburgh Pirates.

The top four in the rotation have ERA’s ranging from 2.44 to 4.02 but are only 8-17.

Ben Cherington is still employed by the Pittsburgh Pirates.

The Pirates don’t have a single player with a WAR of 1.0. Not one.

Ben Cherington is still employed by the Pittsburgh Pirates.

The Pirates are already 8 games out on May 20. Out of fourth place in a bad division.

Ben Cherington is still employed by the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Ben Cherington has surpassed Cam Bonifay, Dave Littlefield, and Neal Huntington, and it isn’t particularly close.

 

All of this is to say that the Pirates are an unserious franchise who are apparently willing to see 8 to 10 thousand fans —many from the opposing team— scattered about the best ballpark in baseball. They are willing to be the butt of jokes from all around the baseball world. Even their own on-air employees are at a loss for words right now.

Don’t forget who is responsible for this mess. Don’t forget who is allowing this situation to fester. Don’t forget who is the unserious one.

 

Don’t forget who should sell the team.

Just my two cents…