This story was originally published by Dead Spin
Scottie Scheffler opted against testing his mettle at The Scottish Open last week in favor of teeing off at various other courses in Scotland in preparation for this week’s Open Championship.
Scheffler, who is ranked No. 1 in the world, looks to shed the rust of nearly a month’s absence on Thursday when he plays in the Open Championship at Royal Troon Golf Club in Scotland.
“That’s why my preparation was a little bit different this year, focusing more on this golf course than last week, getting over here and feeling a bit more rested,” Scheffler said on Tuesday. “As far as getting used to this place, the links golf is obviously different than what we play at home, so getting used to the firmness of the fairways, getting used to the bunkering and the speed of the greens is obviously different as well.”
Scheffler said he is spending a considerable amount of time in addressing play in the bunkers.
“One of the things I liked that the R&A changed this year from last year was the bunkering. Last year I thought it was a bit silly how they flattened out each bunker,” Scheffler said. “The bunkers are still a penalty enough when the ball isn’t up against the lip. It was a bit of luck whether or not your ball would bury into the face because you have a flat bunker and a wall that’s going to go right into it.”
Scheffler enters Troon bidding for his seventh victory of the season. Golf historians point out that Arnold Palmer also had six wins under his belt in 1962 before emerging victorious at the Open Championship at Troon.
Scheffler, 28, admitted he was unaware of that fact despite his love of the history of the game.
“There’s certain things that I know and certain things that I don’t. That was something that for some reason I just never stumbled across,” Scheffler said. “So I had no idea that that was a thing.”
Scheffler will look to take the first step in that direction on Thursday, his first event since winning the Travelers Championship on June 23.
–Field Level Media
