Browsing: Scottie

October is Scottie Scheffler’s downtime, as the world No. 1 takes an annual break from competitive golf. It also happens to be, in some ways, the time of year we learn things about Scheffler we never knew.

Take October 2022, when Scheffler and Jordan Spieth starred in a pickleball pro-am event in Dallas, and Scheffler showed just how damn good he is at that sport. Or take this week, when on Tuesday it became clear that Scheffler has at least a buyer’s passion in professional fishing.

You read that correctly — Scottie Scheffler is the sole owner of Texas Lone Stars Angling Club, one of 14 five-man teams in the Sport Fishing Championship, an upstart saltwater fishing league. The league is expanding to 16 teams next season.

Scheffler got in early, becoming the sole Lone Stars owner 13 months ago, in a move that didn’t get widely covered. He was joined by a handful of other well-known athletes, like Randy Moss and Alvin Kamara, who also bought ownership stakes in angling clubs. Then there’s LIV golfer Talor Gooch, who used part of his immense LIV earnings to buy the Mississippi Blues Angling Club.

Most of that group is jealous this week as Scheffler’s Lone Stars won the season-ending championship, the Zane Grey Championship Playoffs, which wrapped up Monday in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. Scheffler posted about it on his Instagram, saying, “Congratulations to @lonestarsac – thanks for having me out.” On the SFC website, Scheffler is listed as a member of the team’s front office alongside the general manager, Justin Lamonica.

Ownership stakes in pro sports have exploded in recent years as more niche sports have increased popularity, earned TV rights deals and created greater platforms for engagement. Scheffler himself bought in to the Texas Ranchers, one of the leading clubs in Major League Pickleball. Gooch spent even more money on a Pro Bull Riding franchise in Oklahoma. Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth were part of the consortium that bought into Leeds United Football Club two summers ago.

As for the Sport Fishing Championship, its organizers seem keen to mention Scheffler as much as possible. The Lone Stars were one of four teams competing in the two-day finals competition, and when they were introduced for the first time, lead analyst Robbie Floyd announced, “Their team owner, Scottie Scheffler, he’s watching.”

Whether or not Scheffler actually was watching, the competition employs a handful of golfy elements, with a shotgun start announcing when lines could be cast, as well as a rules official regularly joining the broadcast to explain that the size of the dorsal fin helps determine if a fish is a striped, black or blue marlin. (If you think the Rules of Golf are complex, tune in to the SFC, where teammates can help adjust a catcher’s seat, but cannot touch the rod, reel or line.)

In short: certain fish are worth more points than others, which we learned with about 90 minutes left as Scheffler’s squad caught a rare blue marlin. We’ll call that the equivalent of making eagle on the 72nd hole to post the clubhouse lead. Moments after time expired, Floyd brought it back to Scheffler:

“Scottie Scheffler, congratulations — you’ve got another title in 2025,” which prompted color commentator Peter Miller to jump in with an esoteric question: “I wonder if Scottie Scheffler has ever kissed the crystal? I know he’s kissed a lot of cups, but maybe not the crystal?’’

Miller was referring to the dolphin-shaped crystal trophy awarded to the Lone Stars. Seconds later, an AI-generated image of Scheffler holding the angling trophy flashed on the screen. If that wasn’t enough of the broadcast getting out a bit over its skis, Floyd added: “Man, I’m a golfer. I live in the Dallas-Forth Worth metroplex. I’d love for him to take me out someday.”

That’s a Hail Mary cast, mate. It’s unclear if Scheffler is a “fish-head,” as the angling-obsessed are called, or if this is a more passive ownership stake. But the team hopes to get Scheffler out for a fishing day this fall, once scheduling allows for it.

FARMINGDALE, N.Y. – The world No. 2 is undefeated and has happily embraced the role of antagonist this week at Bethpage Black. The world No. 1 is winless once again and searching for answers at the Ryder Cup.

That, in turn, sums up the plight for both teams with Rory McIlroy (3-0-1) leading the Europeans to a commanding, and historically insurmountable, 11 ½-to-4 ½ lead while Scottie Scheffler (0-4-0) has struggled with his ball-striking, his putting and has been completely shutout.

Scheffler had four birdies paired with Bryson DeChambeau in Saturday’s afternoon fourball match, but they were outclassed by Justin Rose and Tommy Fleetwood, 3 and 2, and Scheffler is now winless in his last eight Ryder Cup matches dating to 2023 in Rome.

“Bryson and I did some good stuff out there. We were into a tough matchup today. Those guys played great. They made a ton of putts and really tip of a cap to them. They played better than we did,†Scheffler said. “Bryson did a great job battling all day. Did a really good job keeping us in the match, but overall just didn’t do enough, and they played great.â€

Scheffler and Russell Henley dropped Friday’s opening foursomes match, 5 and 3, to Ludvig Åberg and Matt Fitzpatrick, and he then lost his afternoon fourball match with J.J. Spaun, 3 and 2, to Jon Rahm and Sepp Straka. It was a similar story Saturday morning in foursomes play with a 1-up loss paired with Henley against Robert MacIntyre and Viktor Hovland.

Scheffler became the fourth American to lose four matches in a single Ryder Cup on home soil along with Steve Stricker (2012), Raymond Floyd (’83) and Fuzzy Zoeller (’79). No U.S. player has ever lost five matches in a single Ryder Cup.

This week’s matches have offered divergent paths for the world Nos. 1 and 2 but the luck of the draw has them on a strangely fitting collision course with Scheffler and McIlroy set to face each other in Sunday’s fourth singles match, which is scheduled to begin at 12:35 p.m. ET.

Europe has a record advantage through two days of the 45th Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black, leading the U.S. by seven points, 11 1/2 to 4 1/2.

After four sessions of team play, the two sides will compete in 12 singles matches on Sunday. Europe needs only two-and-a-half points to retain the cup and three points to become the first road team to win since it did so in the “Miracle at Medinah†in 2012.

That year, Europe overcame a four-point deficit on Sunday to prevail, just as the U.S. did at Brookline in 1999. Those mark the largest final-day comebacks in cup history.

The largest margin of victory since Europe joined the biennial competition in 1979 is 10 points, when the U.S. won, 19-9, at Whistling Straits in 2021.

• 12:02 p.m.: Cameron Young (U.S.) vs. Justin Rose (EUR)
• 12:13 p.m.: Justin Thomas (U.S.) vs. Tommy Fleetwood (EUR)
• 12:24 p.m.: Bryson DeChambeau (U.S.) vs. Matt Fitzpatrick (EUR)
• 12:35 p.m.: Scottie Scheffler (U.S.) vs. Rory McIlroy (EUR)
• 12:46 p.m.: Patrick Cantlay (U.S.) vs. Ludvig Ã…berg (EUR)
• 12:57 p.m.: Xander Schauffele (U.S.) vs. Jon Rahm (EUR)
• 1:08 p.m.: J.J. Spaun (U.S.) vs. Sepp Straka (EUR)
• 1:19 p.m.: Russell Henley (U.S.) vs. Shane Lowry (EUR)
• 1:30 p.m.: Ben Griffin (U.S.) vs. Rasmus Hojgaard (EUR)
• 1:41 p.m.: Collin Morikawa (U.S.) vs. Tyrrell Hatton (EUR)
• 1:52 p.m.: Sam Burns (U.S.) vs. Robert MacIntyre (EUR)
• 2:03 p.m.: Harris English (U.S.) vs. Viktor Hovland (EUR)

Scottie Scheffler went to the 1st tee on Saturday afternoon backed by the theatrics of a prize-fighter making his ringwalk. He crossed the bridge from the practice green to the grandstand alongside Bryson DeChambeau, the thumping bassline and clavinet riff of Sirius by the Alan Parsons Project rattling the aluminum beneath their feet: the same track that once summoned Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls thundered from the speakers, the closest US analogue to the All Blacks’ haka for spine-tingling pregame stagecraft. The scene was set for the world’s best golfer to spark a comeback, to pull the United States back from the edge of humiliation at Bethpage Black.

Instead, it became the overture to a historic dud.

Europe had surged to an 8½–3½ lead after the morning foursomes, becoming the first side in the 98-year history of the competition to sweep the opening three sessions on foreign soil. The mathematics offered a sliver of hope. The psychology offered none. And at the heart of it was Scheffler, presumptive spearhead of an American fightback, becoming an emblem of its futility.

Scottie Scheffler tried to get things going but failed. Photograph: Jared C Tilton/Getty Images

No world No 1 had ever started a Ryder Cup by losing three straight matches. No player in the modern era had begun 0–3 and been sent back out for a fourth try. Scheffler managed both. On Friday, he and Russell Henley had been flattened by Viktor Hovland and Ludvig Åberg, before falling 3&2 with JJ Spaun to Jon Rahm and Sepp Straka. On Saturday morning, paired with Russell Henley, he lost the anchor match to Hovland and Robert MacIntyre after he was left standing on the 18th tee with a chance to salvage a half, only to shove a wedge from 104 yards into ignominy. It was a shot that told the story of his week: the swing unbroken, the outcome betraying him.

It wasn’t that Scheffler completely unravelled. Europe simply played sublime golf, all but devoid of mistakes. But by nightfall Scheffler had become the first American ever to lose in each of the first four sessions of a Ryder Cup, joining only two Europeans – Peter Alliss in 1967 and Peter Townsend in 1971 – in that unwanted company.

There was no respite for Scheffler on Saturday afternoon as the agony piled on. Rising tensions and temperatures on either side of the ropes prompted spectator etiquette warnings that flashed across the grounds, drawing lusty boos from eight-deep galleries packed with mostly American fans. When Justin Rose holed from seven feet to close out a 3&2 win on 16, the broader US defeat was in effect sealed and thousands in red, white and blue made a mass exodus to the gates with two matches still on the course. Europe had not reached the 14-point threshold to retain the trophy formally, but the 11½-4½ scoreline when the dust settled made it clear we wouldn’t need Sunday to determine the winner.

It was a bleak punctuation to what had been two years of near-unbroken supremacy for Scheffler. For much of that span it seemed only the Louisville police could slow his roll. The 29-year-old has won six times this year, with two majors, on top of seven titles and a second Masters crown in 2024. It’s the kind of all-time heater that has drawn straight-faced comparisons to Tiger Woods. But those comparisons cut both ways. Woods never imposed himself on the Ryder Cup, never looked quite the same in the fourball and foursomes crucible. Scheffler is tracing the same line, his authority dissolving the moment he is asked to blend his game with another’s.

And it’s here where the flaws in his own game, papered over by the relentless volume of birdies in stroke-play golf, have been ruthlessly exposed. His ball-striking remains magnificent, the thing that separates him from everyone else. But the putting can be uneven, sometimes merely streaky, sometimes worse. At Bethpage it has looked fragile, a weakness that seeps into the rest of his rhythm, tightening the shoulders, clouding the judgment.

He has tried to present an even keel. “We battled hard out there,†he said after Saturday morning’s loss. But his face told a different story: the blank stare later that afternoon following his approach on the 9th, which struck the flagstick and bounded into the rough; the sag of his shoulders as another par putt slid past the edge. For a player who has made a career of managing his emotions, of walking slowly, speaking softly, never flinching, the Ryder Cup has laid bare a rare unraveling.

That detachment was something he spoke about openly three months ago, on the eve of the Open at Troon (which he went on to win). He expounded thoughtfully for five minutes on how he does not invest his ego in his golf. But after watching the camaraderie, respect and passion of the Europeans’ display this week, it gives rise to questions over whether his mindset is an asset or a liability in a team event.

‘Keegan Bradley [left] had little choice but to keep calling Scottie Scheffler’s number.’ Photograph: David Davies/PA

Nothing in his scintillating form augured the results of the past 48 hours. He has been the best golfer in the world by a distance, at times so far clear in the rankings it invited statistical comparisons with peak Woods. Yet golf is cruelly specific about where it chooses to test you. A Ryder Cup is not a 72-hole marathon, it is five violent sprints. It does not reward the steady accumulation of small advantages and dumbfounding consistency that has become his signature, but demands the nerve to hole a five-footer at the exact moment everything depends on it. That is where Scheffler has been found wanting.

The USA captain, Keegan Bradley, had little choice but to keep calling his number. On paper he was always America’s best chance, the player most likely to conjure something from nothing in a competition where it got late early. And so Scheffler kept marching back to the tee, head down, music blaring, sent out to turn back a tide that had already swept the United States away. In Sunday’s singles, he will go out with Rory McIlroy in a showdown of the world’s top two, even if only one has looked the part this week.

Quick GuideRyder Cup singles pairings and timingsShow

12.02 EDT/17.02 BST Cameron Young v Justin Rose
12.13 EDT/17.13 BST Justin Thomas v Tommy Fleetwood
12.24 EDT/17.24 BST Bryson DeChambeau v Matt Fitzpatrick
12.35 EDT/17.35 BST Scottie Scheffler v Rory McIlroy
12.46 EDT/17.46 BST Patrick Cantlay v Ludvig Ã…berg
12.57 EDT/17.57 BST Xander Schauffele v Jon Rahm
13.08 EDT/18.08 BST JJ Spaun v Sepp Straka
13.19 EDT/18.19 BST Russell Henley v Shane Lowry
13.30 EDT/18.30 BST Ben Griffin v Rasmus Højgaard
13.41 EDT/18.41 BST Collin Morikawa v Tyrrell Hatton
13.52 EDT/18.52 BST Sam Burns v Robert MacIntyre
14.03 EDT/19.03 BST Harris English v Viktor Hovland

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There will be time to pick apart what this defeat means for the United States as a whole. The inquest will not be quick. For now it is Scheffler who embodies the horror of it, the champion who came in gilded and will leave diminished, the world No 1 who discovered that in the Ryder Cup, numbers don’t count, rankings don’t matter, reputation is immaterial. Only the shots you hit in the moment. And for Scheffler, too many of them have missed the mark.

FARMINGDALE, N.Y. – The Americans made the wrong kind of history Saturday at the Ryder Cup.

Their opponents just became the first road team to win the first three sessions.

What was a three-point European advantage swelled to five by midday Saturday after Jon Rahm remained perfect in foursomes, Rory McIlroy continued to dole out punishment, and Viktor Hovland holed a clutch 8-footer on the 17th hole to help secure another full point for the Europeans.

Europe leads, 8 ½ to 3 ½, with the situation becoming increasingly dire for the U.S. It’s the largest lead for a road team since 1987. Here are some takeaways from the Saturday morning session:

Recap of Saturday morning’s foursomes matches at the 45th Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black, where the Europeans did something no visiting team has done since 1961 – and no European team has done ever.

• At the end of another historic season, Scottie Scheffler heard something unusual Saturday: Boos. Needing to mount a rally to flip the anchor match and split the foursomes session overall, Scheffler and partner Russell Henley failed to birdie each of the last five holes in what was a 1-up defeat. Scheffler’s ending was particularly uninspiring: In perfect position on 18, Scheffler dumped a wedge into the native grass short and right of the green. The world No. 1 dropped to 0-3 for the week – the first time that’s happened in Ryder Cup history.
• Europe’s foursomes firewall held up again Saturday. The duos of McIlroy/Tommy Fleetwood and Rahm/Tyrrell Hatton improved to a combined 8-0 in the alternate-shot format over the past two Ryder Cups. Those four players, together, have trailed in a match after a total of just seven holes. Rahm is now 6-0 in the alternate-shot format.
• U.S. captain Keegan Bradley didn’t have a statistical justification for sending Collin Morikawa and Harris English back out in foursomes after a 5-and-3 thrashing on Friday morning, saying, basically: They were disappointed by their play and wanted another chance. Though they fought gamely, combining for five birdies, the Americans ran into the same problem they encountered a day early – McIlroy and Fleetwood, both in full flight. The European duo dropped seven birdies in foursomes, with McIlroy ending the match with a stuffed wedge to 3 feet after telling an unruly fan to “shut the f— up.†Both English and Morikawa will sit in the afternoon session after going 0-2 together.

Rory McIlroy backed away from the ball, turned around and told a group of heckling fans to “Shut the (expletive) up!†Then, he stepped up to his shot and did the work himself.

• The pairing of Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay is now 1-3 in their last four Ryder Cup foursomes matches together.
• Looking for a spark, Bradley will once again pair Scheffler and Bryson DeChambeau together for afternoon fourballs. That duo went 1-0-1 together at Whistling Straits in 2021. DeChambeau got on the board alongside Cam Young in the morning, earning a 4-and-2 victory, but was the second-worst player statistically in the session for the U.S.
• Young was statistically the best player on the course, on either side, on Saturday morning. One of the few bright spots for the Americans, Young is the only American to earn two points so far. The Ryder Cup rookie will run it back with Justin Thomas in the leadoff spot for fourballs.
• Ben Griffin (0-1) and Rasmus Hojgaard (0-1) are the only players who will sit both sessions on Saturday. Six players will play all five sessions: McIlroy, Fleetwood and Rahm on the European side, with Scheffler, DeChambeau and Cantlay going the distance for the U.S.

U.S. Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley says he’s “not worried” about Scottie Scheffler despite the world No. 1 posting an 0-2 record on Day 1 at Bethpage Black.

“When you’re the No. 1 player in the world, you have a day that maybe wasn’t his best, normally you bounce back,” Bradley said during Friday’s press conference. “We’re not worried about Scottie Scheffler.

“He’s been in great spirits in the team room. He’s eager to get back out there tomorrow.”

Scheffler started out the day alongside Russell Henley, alongside whom he conceded a 5-and-3 loss in 15 holes to Ludvig Ã…berg and Matt Fitzpatrick.

J.J. Spaun and Scheffler then lost again in a 3-and-2 decision to Jon Rahm and Sepp Straka.

Scheffler gained some momentum late against Rahm and Straka, although three birdies in the last four holes were not enough to recover from an early deficit.

“It really just came down to me not holing enough putts,” Scheffler said after the loss, per the Golf Digest’s Shane Ryan. “We put up a good fight at the end.”

Scheffler continued, “It really came down to us not taking advantage of the holes early in the match that we needed to, but overall it was a good fight at the end, and we’ll come back out tomorrow.”

Europe, which is looking to become the first team to win a Ryder Cup on foreign soil since the European team won at Medinah in 2012, finished the day with a 5.5 to 2.5 lead.

Scheffler is the first top-ranked player to mark an 0-2 record on Day 1 of the Ryder Cup since Tiger Woods in 2002, according to the Associated Press’ Brian Mahoney.

His career record at the tournament has now fallen to 2-9, including an 0-4-2 record dating back to the U.S. team’s 2023 Ryder Cup loss in Italy.

That’s been in part due to his apparent struggles in foursomes. Scheffler holds a 1-6 career record in alternate shot play including the Ryder Cup and Presidents’ Cup.

Bryson DeChambeau also went 0-2 on the opening day of the Ryder Cup. Unless Bradley turns elsewhere, the U.S. team will need stronger performances from its two biggest stars in order to earn redemption against the European team this weekend.

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FARMINGDALE, N.Y. — No. 1 in the world is 0-2 at this Ryder Cup, and Scottie Scheffler had the worst first day by a top-ranked player since Tiger Woods.

Scheffler lost again in foursomes — and as always in that format at the Ryder Cup, lost badly — in the morning with Russell Henley, then went back out with U.S. Open champion J.J. Spaun for a loss in fourballs in the afternoon.

By himself, Scheffler is winning more often than anyone in golf. But his teams were behind nearly throughout both his matches Friday, and with Scheffler and Bryson DeChambeau, their two biggest stars, both going 0-2, the Americans trailed Europe, 5 1/2 to 2 1/2, overall.

Scheffler finally seemed to find his game late in the afternoon match, with three birdies in the final four holes of the match. But he didn’t have any until the 13th hole as Jon Rahm and Sepp Straka built a comfortable lead, and the European duo went on to a 3-and-2 victory.

“We gave ourselves plenty of opportunities,†Scheffler said. “It really just came down to me not holing enough putts. We put up a good fight at the end.â€

He fell to 0-4-2 in his last six Ryder Cup matches, becoming the first No. 1 player in the world to go 0-2 on the opening day since Woods in 2002. Woods also did that in 1999; Ian Woosnam in 1991 is the only other top-ranked player to do it.

Scheffler and Henley were defeated, 5 and 3, by Europe’s Matt Fitzpatrick and Ludvig Åberg in the morning, Scheffler’s third blowout loss in three career foursome matches in the Ryder Cup.

Two years after being left in tears when Ã…berg and Viktor Hovland routed Scheffler and Brooks Koepka, 9 and 7, in Rome in the shortest foursomes match in Ryder Cup history, Scheffler watched Fitzpatrick and Ã…berg make seven birdies in 15 holes.

Scheffler has trailed by at least four holes in all three of his Ryder Cup foursomes matches.

“We just didn’t hole enough putts early,†Scheffler said. “We had some chances. I think the putts just didn’t fall.â€

The afternoon match seemed to swing when one of his didn’t on No. 8.

He and Spaun were 1 down and Scheffler hit his tee shot on the par 3 to about 8 feet. Rahm made his putt from about twice as long and Scheffler missed, turning the U.S. hopes of evening the match into a 2-up lead for Europe.

Rahm and Straka would never let the Americans back into it, making five birdies in the final six holes.

“The guys just really turned it on on the back nine, but it really came down to us not taking advantage of the holes early in the match that we needed to,†Scheffler said. “But overall it was a good fight at the end, and we’ll come back out tomorrow.â€

Scheffler has won six times this year, four more than anyone else on the PGA Tour, with two major championships. He has played himself back into tournaments after slow starts before, and maybe his performance on the final few holes gives him some momentum going into Saturday.

U.S. captain Keegan Bradley sent Scheffler and Henley out second, after DeChambeau and Justin Thomas. While the leadoff duo was the high-profile match of the morning, the one after might’ve appeared to be the best U.S. team.

Henley is No. 3 in the world ranking, and he and Scheffler went 2-1 together last year in the Presidents Cup in Montreal.

Scheffler pumped his fist after rolling in a birdie putt on No. 2 to quickly tie the match after Fitzpatrick and Åberg had won the opener, but there wouldn’t be much more to celebrate for the Americans. The Europeans ran off three straight birdies to win Nos. 4-6 to build a 3-up lead that ballooned to 5 up, and won it when the U.S. made bogey on No. 15.

“They played great, gave themselves a lot of chances and just was a little sloppy,†Henley said. “Didn’t make the putts I needed to and didn’t really keep the momentum going with the ball-striking on the back nine, either. Hung in there as best I could, but they played great.â€

Scheffler also lost, 4 and 3, with Sam Burns against Jon Rahm and Tyrell Hatton in his other foursomes match in 2023, when he went 0-2-2. He didn’t play in either match in his Ryder Cup debut in 2021, when he went 2-0-1.

Comparing different eras of NBA basketball is impossible, yet we do it anyway.

Chicago Bulls legend Scottie Pippen was asked who would win between his 1995-96 Bulls team and the 2016-17 Warriors, and Pippen didn’t hold back his thoughts on Golden State star Steph Curry.

“It depends on the rules,” Pippen said in a recent interview with MARCA (h/t Golden State Warriors on SI.com). “If you play by today’s rules, it would be one thing. But with the rules of the ’90s, Curry wouldn’t be the same. If we played in his era, it would be like playing freely: no one holds you, no one stops you. I don’t know who would win.”

Pippen’s take on the subject could be personal. In the 2016-17 NBA season, the Golden State Warriors surpassed the 1995-96 Bulls for the best regular-season record in NBA history, achieving a 73-9 mark.

Pick a starting 5:

’96 Bulls
MJ (MVP, FMVP, All-Star, All-NBA, All-Def)
Pippen (All-Star, All-NBA, All-Def)
Rodman (All-Def)
Longley
Harper

’17 Warriors
Steph (All-Star, All-NBA)
KD (FMVP, All-Star, All-NBA)
Klay (All-Star)
Dray (DPOY, All-Star, All-NBA, All-Def)
Zaza pic.twitter.com/3F3FnU5a6Q

— StatMuse (@statmuse) July 26, 2024

“We weren’t built to shoot 25-50 3-pointers per game,” Pippen continued. “They would probably win that way because they have two of the best shooters in Steph and Klay [Thompson]. But we played physical. We defended hard. We made teams score only 75-80 points. Today, that’s almost impossible.”

The game was much different in the 1990s compared to now, but the numbers still don’t lie. Curry averaged 25.3 points, 6.6 assists and 4.5 rebounds in 79 games in 2016-17. Michael Jordan averaged 30.4 points, 6.6 rebounds and 4.3 assists in 82 games in 1995-96. Pippen’s numbers were never close to either Curry’s or Jordan’s.

Pippen claimed that his 1995-96 Bulls team is the greatest team of all time “on paper,” but thinks that the Warriors would win in a hypothetical matchup because of their shooting ability.

When comparing the two squads, the only argument Chicago has is that they have the ring to show for their regular-season efforts. Golden State lost to the Cleveland Cavaliers in seven games, giving Lebron James his third championship.

Fans will never know who would win between these two super teams, but the debate will continue for decades.

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FARMINGDALE, N.Y. — Scottie Scheffler has been the standard everyone is chasing for the last 856 days. That’s how long he has been No. 1 in the world, the longest stretch in golf for anyone since Tiger Woods.

Now he is one of 12 at the Ryder Cup. His matches at Bethpage Black count no more than anyone else, whether it’s Patrick Cantlay or Harris English or Bryson DeChambeau.

“At the end of the day, it’s just all about going and winning your point,†Justin Thomas said Tuesday. “All of us are very happy that he’s on our team this week so we don’t have to try to figure out how to beat him in an individual tournament. It’s nice that he’s on our side.

“No, he’s just viewed as one of the 12. And we’re all one and the same, I’d say.â€

It was like that for Scheffler when he was world No. 1 at Marco Simone two years ago, and he failed to win a match by going 0-2-2. That included being on the losing end with Brooks Koepka in the shortest match in Ryder Cup history. Ludvig Aberg and Viktor Hovland won in 11 holes.

Americans at No. 1 in the Ryder Cup

There isn’t a great history for No. 1 players in the Ryder Cup, at least on the American side. Dustin Johnson was at the top of his game when he went 1-4-0 in Paris.

As for Woods, he didn’t have a winning record until his fifth Ryder Cup, in 2006 at The K Club in Ireland, when he went 3-2-0 as the Americans lost by nine points.

None of this matters to Scheffler. Very little does when it comes to golf. His credo has been to show up at the first tee — Bethpage Black, Royal Portrush, Muirfield Village — knowing he has done everything possible to be ready. And then go compete.

“Should the expectations of me be different than any other player? I don’t really think about that kind of stuff,†Scheffler said. “I truly don’t think about expectations or anything like that. That’s wasted space in my brain.â€

But there always seemed to be a burden for Woods, a different cat. He never really was one of 12 because he was Tiger Woods. He was THE one of 12.

A European win over Woods counted as one point. Motivationally, it felt like two.

With inclement weather in the forecast for Thursday the PGA of America moved the Ryder Cup opening ceremony to Wednesday at Bethpage.

Finding the right partner

There also was the issue of finding Woods a good partner for foursomes and fourballs. He played with 10 players in his first four Ryder Cup appearances.

Scheffler has had six partners — three each for the Presidents Cup and Ryder Cup — though he and Russell Henley appeared to be a good fit last year at Royal Montreal in the Presidents Cup and are likely to be together at Bethpage Black.

“I think we have 12 guys that are all equal. I don’t think one player is more important than another. I think that is something that is through our team room,†Scheffler said. “I’d like to think that I’m not difficult to pair with people. I’d like to think of myself as someone that’s a nice guy and easy to get along with.

“I’ve had different partners over the years and have had some success. I would definitely not put myself in that category.â€

Scheffler’s rookie year on the PGA Tour was the last time Woods competed in team matches, so it’s a subject on which he has limited knowledge.

“It could just be the aura that was Tiger Woods,†he said.

European success from top players

Europe has had its share of No. 1 players with a different result.

Jon Rahm was 3-1-1 when he was at No. 1 for the 2021 matches at Whistling Straits. His one loss was to Scheffler, who birdied the opening four holes for a comfortable win.

Rory McIlroy went 3-2-0 at No. 1 in the world when Europe won at Medinah in 2012, and he was 2-1-2 as the top-ranked player at Gleneagles in Scotland in 2024.

Nick Faldo was 2-1-2 when he played as the world No. 1 at the Belfry in 1993. The only No. 1 player from Europe with a losing record was Ian Woosnam (1-3-0) in 1991.

“Rory has talked about this many times — he loves what the Ryder Cup represents,†European captain Luke Donald said. “You can see the emotion both ways.â€

There were tears from McIlroy when Europe lost big at Whistling Straits. There was that dispute with Patrick Cantlay’s caddie on the 18th green at Marco Simone two years ago, that resulted in McIlroy having to be restrained later that evening in the parking lot.

He used that as motivation for Europe on Sunday to finish the job by smoking the Americans.

“He sees himself as a leader, but also just one of the 12,†Donald said. “We try and talk about that a lot. We all have an opportunity to contribute to the team. To have someone of his caliber, though, what he’s achieved in the game is tremendous.â€

Is it something? Is it nothing? U.S. players being paid a stipend to compete in the Ryder Cup has drawn plenty of questions this week, but does concern have any merit?

American inexperience

Scheffler is a leader of the U.S. team by his sheer stature in the game, even if he doesn’t see it that way. This is only his third Ryder Cup. Then again, Thomas is the most experienced American and this is only his fourth appearance.

It’s a young U.S. team by experience — the 12 players have combined to play in 15 Ryder Cups. Scheffler is among six players on the last team in Rome.

“I don’t think it can be understated how difficult of a week Rome was for us. I think we could have done better, for sure,†he said. “That wasn’t how I expected the week to go. I think we learned from it, and we’re as prepared as ever this time.â€

FARMINGDALE, N.Y. — As United States Ryder Cup members are set to be compensated for the first time in the event’s history, world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler and several of his teammates said they are planning to donate their entire stipends to charity.

“I’ve never been one to announce what we do. I don’t like to give charitable dollars for some kind of recognition,” Scheffler said Tuesday. “We have something planned for the money that we’ll be receiving. I think it’s a really cool thing that the PGA of America has empowered us to do.”

U.S. captain Keegan Bradley said Monday that the PGA of America approached him last year with the idea of compensating players and asked him to help come up with the best approach. In November, the PGA of America voted to give the 12 players and Bradley $300,000 to donate to a charity of their choice and a $200,000 stipend to spend as they wished.

While Bradley said he didn’t understand the criticism of players being paid, Europe captain Luke Donald has said multiple times that European players rejected the idea of being paid for participating in the event.

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“Every one of them was like, ‘This isn’t a week to get paid,'” Donald said Monday in an interview with Sky Sports. “We have such a strong purpose in this team and what we play for.”

Two-time major winner Xander Schauffele said he also plans to donate his stipend to charity and downplayed the chatter surrounding the money.

“You guys keep talking about it and trying to make it this negative thing. It’s whatever everyone views it as,” Schauffele said Tuesday. “There’s a lot of pride that comes into playing in one of these, and yes, we’re happy to get paid for this, and yes, I plan on donating it. It’s something that selfishly will make me feel good about what I do.”

In December, Schauffele told The Associated Press that, despite the new structure, the plan was for players not to get a single dime.

“I just see it as a whole lot of money going to charity, and we’re going to take a lot of crap,” Schauffele told the AP.

Compensation for the Ryder Cup has been a topic of much debate, going back to the 2023 event in Rome. Patrick Cantlay was asked Tuesday about his role in getting players paid by the PGA of America, but he was adamant that he was not involved.

“I wasn’t a part of that decision-making process. I don’t think any of the team members were,” Cantlay said. “I can only speak for what my plans are.”

Cantlay said he is also planning to donate all his stipend to a specific set of charities that are meaningful to him.

On the topic of the 2023 report that he did not wear a hat in Rome as protest for not being compensated, Cantlay, wearing a USA hat, smiled and said that, as he has said “a million times,” the hat didn’t fit in 2023 and this year he has received one that does fit.

“This event is very good at generating lots of noise and that’s not going to help us put points on the board,” Cantlay said. “I think we need to put 100% of our focus on playing the best golf we can and let the noise be exactly what it is, just noise.”