One of the most dramatic weeks in golf is here. The Players Championship kicks off the unofficial major season, and this year the drama will be something special.
Everyone is focused on the showdown between Rory McIlroy versus Scottie Scheffler. These two are becoming the must watch rivalry in professional golf. You would expect them to be the main storyline battling it out on Sunday at Sawgrass.
However, we need to look at what just happened. Scottie Scheffler finished a shockingly low 24th out of just 72 players last week at Bay Hill. That is obviously not great for a guy at his level, especially heading into a massive event.
You might think Rory McIlroy is positioned to take advantage of that dip in form. He had his own issues to deal with though. Rory withdrew from the event before round three. He tweaked his back in the gym, and now instead of warming up at Sawgrass, he is resting all week just to see if he can even tee it up.
The Situation for Scottie Scheffler
This could look like the perfect opportunity for the World Number One to bounce back. Well, not so fast. If you look closely, Scheffler keeps finding ways to win despite terrible opening rounds, but the pattern is becoming a major problem.
In his last three stroke play events before Riviera, he opened with rounds of 73, 72, and 74. When he opens a tournament five or six shots behind the leaders, he is not playing the same game as everyone else. He is chasing. He is taking different lines and running a different risk calculus. The floor gets much lower when you are always digging out of a hole.
A Tour Defined By Controversy
The struggles at the top of the leaderboard are only part of the story this week. Professional golf is an absolute mess behind the scenes right now.
Look at the situation overseas. Jon Rahm is not the kind of player to antagonize, yet the DP World Tour is doing exactly that. They are demanding he play six specific events, and they even want to pick two of them for him. Rahm is calling it extortion. When a tour uses a player of his caliber simply to drive their own revenue without giving him control over his schedule, the frustration makes complete sense.
Then you have the loyalty crisis back home. Fans and players are furious about the rumors of LIV golfers returning to the PGA Tour. What Koepka’s return says to players who stayed is that loyalty means absolutely nothing.
Guys who turned down massive paydays to stay true to the PGA Tour are watching players who left for the cash stroll back in and get tee times. It is a massive slap in the face. If leaving has no consequence, then the Tour standards are entirely negotiable.
Who Survives Sawgrass?
With Rory hurting, Scottie starting slow, Rahm fighting his tour, and the PGA Tour facing a locker room revolt, do not be shocked if someone totally unexpected lifts the trophy this week at Sawgrass.
Who do you think survives the chaos and wins? Drop your picks in the comments.
Clint is PGA-certified and was a Head Teaching Professional at one of Toronto's busiest golf academies. He was also featured on Canada's National Golf TV program, "Score Golf Canada," twice. He graduated with a degree in Golf Management from the College of the Desert in California and studied under Callaway's co-founder, Tony Manzoni. He has a handicap index of 6.2 and spends the winters near Oaxaca, Mexico, where he plays twice a month at the Club de Golf Vista Hermosa. He's written over 100 articles at GolfSpan since 2021. You can connect with Clint at LinkedIn, FB, his website, or Clintcpga@gmail.com.
