Should Scottie Scheffler play more tournaments in PGA Tour offseason? | Golf Today | Golf Channel

Gary Williams and Todd Lewis join Golf Today to discuss potential schedule changes for the 2027 season, questioning why Scottie Scheffler and other top American golfers don’t play in more international tournaments. #ScottieScheffler #GolfToday #GolfChannel #PGATour
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Should Scottie Scheffler play more tournaments in PGA Tour offseason? | Golf Today | Golf Channel
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Gary, I want to go back to this schedule question. If there is a contraction with the PGA Tour schedule, in your mind, does that create an opportunity or an obligation for the PGA Tour to work outside of the US in Q4 or even into Q1? Yeah, Aean, I wouldn’t say obligation, but I would say opportunity. I I’ve been a proponent of them finding other pathways for co-sanctions events and and certainly there’s a convenience associated with the Scottish Open. It it makes natural sense. Uh but but again there’s got to be reciprocity. There’s got to be opportunities for DP World Tour members to come here and it’s not just alternate field events as they do in the middle of the summer. I don’t see any reason why there shouldn’t be a pathway after Labor Day. and and you were making the point that that myopically we get out of the way of football, but but golf is global, especially men’s professional golf, the BMW PGA Championship, the end of the season, whether it’s the Dunnh Hill Links, these are very attractive events with very good fields, the best players who represent the DP World Tour, who make the lion share of their careers on on the PJ tour. Yes, they should absolutely cultivate uh other opportunities outside of the United States after Labor Day until Thanksgiving. Todd, what do you think? Similar question because Rory has often talked about his love of chasing national opens and his belief that those tournaments should be protected, elevated, that they’re important. Is there a possibility for the PGA Tour to adopt that mindset and look for more collaboration globally? Indian opens for example, Australia, Scotland, you know, go around the globe and and pick your country. Yeah, I think that Gary hit the nail on the head. There is an opportunity for the PGA Tour to align with other tours, probably specifically the DP World Tour. But the problem they’re going to run into the PGA Tour is trying to convince elite American players to step outside the United States and play in these events. I I I don’t understand why these great American players don’t go out and play internationally like Rory Mroy does brilliantly by the way more than they do. But that’s that’s just kind of been the MO. I mean Scotty Sheffller, we love Scotty Sheffller. He is a dominant player. He’s whenever he shows up now, he’s he’s the top draw. Um maybe at least tied with Lorie Malorf in there in the same tournament, but rarely does he step outside the United States to play big events globally. So I think it is a great opportunity, but they’re going to really have to sell it to the elite players, the PJ tour officials. That is continuing on that, Gary. Scotty is making his second start since the FedEx Cup ended back in mid August. Rory is making his sixth start since the FedEx Cup ended. Is there a responsibility on Scotty as the world number one to perhaps show up a little bit more often? I mean, where’s the balance between having an off season, having the rest, and actually fulfilling your obligation as world number one to try to spread the love a little bit around the world? Yeah, Aean, it’s it’s a flattering ask. There there are very few players that I think that that get to a place where we’re saying, “Well, they should play more uh because they have an audience now. They’re they’re an attraction uh that very few have because the truth is there’s only a handful that actually do sell tickets. You’re selling the experience, not the individual.” I think his number one responsibility is for him to believe that whatever schedule he has allows him to keep his window of dominance and greatness open as long as he can. And if it’s what the current construct of his schedule is, I will have no criticism of it. Similarly to the way that Tiger executed his schedule before him, Jack, he was very particular about the way he went about things. And and for anybody bristling going, why are you putting him in that category? Are you not paying attention? He’s doing similar things. So, no, I don’t think he has an obligation. His obligation is for him to show up and for us to continue to do what we do on Monday mornings. He almost won or he won because that’s what he does every week that he plays. Well, Tu, there was a time when Cameron Smith was competing and winning major championships. He just missed the cut at the BMW Australian PGA. He’s missed seven cuts in a row. Missed all four cuts in major championships. told Golf Digest uh Australia’s uh Evan Priest that he’s confused. He thinks it might be in his head. How much of a loss is his unique style of play for golf fans considering what he did in 2022 winning the century the players in the open? Look, I think Cam Smith, especially those years that you’re talking about, was an elite player. But um I mean, look, he’s he’s like several players that were, you know, kind of trending in the right direction and decided to go to live. And for whatever reason, I mean, there are a number of players like that this didn’t quite have the intensity, the fire, uh the push maybe because they were being paid so much money that just kind of, you know, just kind of faded away. I mean, this it’s not all of them, but I would say a majority of them just really haven’t capitalized in the global stage and they’re measured back when they come back in major championships. And yeah, I mean, here we are. I mean, this incredible shot that he hit in the uh at the road hole at St. Andrews and we think, man, this guy’s going to be a star and now he’s going to take his talents to live golf, but just I don’t know what it is. I don’t know what the exact formula is, but um when these elite players go to live golf, I’m not saying they’re awful players, but they surely aren’t the players they were before they left. Gary, I want to go back a few days. One of the sort of legends in this game died last week, Fuzzy Zeller. something of a complicated legacy. A two-time major champion whose reputation still had a stain on it from those controversial racial comments he made at the Masters back in 1997. How should Fuzzy Zeller be adequately remembered in your mind? I I think the word you used is the most appropriate one, complicated. I think it is complicated and it’s it’s it’s extraordinary if you think about that time like you just referenced, 1997. It was well in advance of social media, but it was right at the outset of the internet. Now, look, it w that that those comments were not populating a space that was not occupied by millions and millions of people, but it didn’t take long. And and I would say that that 12 to 15 second reflexive remark that he gave to somebody who asked him what he would say to Tiger essentially when it was over because it was merely a coronation on that inward nine harmed him in a way um that I never thought could harm somebody. And again, it was an audible response in a reflexive way. And this is somebody just for people who are a little bit younger. We just had the Skins game. Fuzzy Zeller won the Skins game in 1985 and 1986. What does that mean? Well, it means that he was popular enough that that the people who were producing that event wanted him in the event. He won the Bob Jones Award one year after he won the US Open. This wasn’t in the twilight of his career or his life. This was in the heart of his career. That’s how popular he was. And in the blink of an eye, he was excommunicated from so many parts of the industry in the ecosystem of golf that I don’t think he ever psychologically and intellectually ever recovered from that. Harmed is the way I would look at he’s a harmed historically wonderful player. Too, speaking of interviews, Rory Mroy and Bryson Dashambo in separate interviews basically said there’s no heat, no action in these negotiations between the PGA Tour and Liv nearly some two years, more than two years since the framework agreement. Is this just the albatross that’s going to hang over professional golf now? Is this just the way it’s going to be? What is going on from your perspective and your reporting if anything? Well, it’s funny. Uh Aan, I know you were with me uh when that White House meeting was happening and we were ready to say there’s a framework agreement ready to go uh and and there are going to be players from Live Golf. They’re going to be competing in the players championship which was a few weeks later. Uh and that just obviously just blew up. It seems to me right now from what I am feeling and hearing that that these entities are just going to keep going their own path. And there really is zero talk, I mean zero talk between the PGA Tour and PIF Lift Golf about maybe getting together for a meeting just to talk about things and seeing what we could do down the road. So, it seems as if the tour is going the direction they’re going under new leadership and and yes, Lyft Golf has a new CEO as well. And you know, there’s probably both kind of drinking from a fire hose right now trying to make sure that their properties are taken care of. But it seems to me that there is nothing in the mix at all in regards to both of these entities trying to come together once again, at least right now.