Scottie Scheffler Press Conference | 2025 PGA Championship

Watch Scottie Scheffler’s pre-tournament press conference ahead of the 2025 PGA Championship at Quail Hollow Club.

Subscribe to keep up with the latest from the PGA Championship: https://bit.ly/PGAChampionshipYT  

Contested each May, the PGA Championship is the second major championship in golf’s annual rotation and perennially features the strongest field in the men’s game based on the Official World Golf Rankings. Known for dramatic finishes and notable champions, the Wanamaker Trophy—which has been awarded to the winner since 1916—is inscribed with names such as Rory McIlroy, Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Jack Nicklaus, and Gary Player. 
 
The 2025 PGA Championship is set to take place between 8-11 May at Quail Hollow Club. The reigning champion is Xander Schauffele. 

Website: https://pgachampionship.com/ 
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pgachampionship 
X: https://twitter.com/pgachampionship 
Instagram: https://instagram.com/pgachampionship/

All right, everyone. Scotty Shuffler joins us now at the 107th PGA Championship. Scotty, welcome to Quail Hollow and your sixth PGA Championship. A win for you a couple weeks ago in Texas. How you feeling coming into this week? Uh yeah, feeling good. Like you said, I had a good start a couple weeks ago in um in Dallas. Got some good rest at home last week. So yeah, excited for the week to get started this week. And then um yeah, that’s great. We’ll open it up for questions now. Starting with Jim right here on three. Um Scotty, how much how how much have you practiced a whatever you seen of the course and how how uncomfortable is it if you don’t get a full Tuesday, Wednesday of practice going into a major? Um doesn’t really matter that much. I mean, I think a lot of times at majors you can almost overprepare. Um, so coming in this week, making sure you’re rested. It’s a big golf course and it’s pretty wet out there, but the uh greens are still staying pretty firm. You know, they’re still fairly new and when you get that new Bermuda, the greens greens can stay firm and so golf course will play long. Um, but it should be a good test. Up here to Jay on 13. Scotty, you’ve got uh five top eight or four top eight finishes in your last five PGA, but you haven’t put it over the line. Is there anything you could point to specific with this tournament or is there is it just a case of things not working out at the right time? Uh what not sure I totally understand the question. Oh just you winning the PGA as opposed to the Masters or you know you you’ve had a little more struggles here than than at Augusta. Like why why haven’t I won here? Is that what you’re saying? Yeah, it’s a long way of saying that. Yeah. Um I mean yeah like you said just a couple shots here and there. You know, I was close at uh I was close at Oak Hill the year Brooks won. That was as close as I remember being to to winning this tournament. But I mean, it’s it’s a it’s a good golf tournament. You know, we’re always playing a great golf course. And same thing this week. Another really good golf course. And um should be a good test of golf. And I’m looking forward to getting the week going. We’ll go over to James on nine, please. Scotty, you mentioned last year that you were sort of hoping to like do a better job of of maintaining your rest throughout the season. I’m wondering like how you feel like you’re doing as the calendar flips to to midmay. Yeah, doing pretty good. I I got that extra month off to start the year. Um yeah, I think a lot of it is managing my schedule week to week and um you know, managing the stuff I do dayto day. You know, I’m I’m a guy that loves I I mean, I really do love to practice and a lot of times when you get to a great golf course like this and the practice facilities are really nice and um there’s a lot of space for for us to be able to do our work. It can be, you know, really exciting to go out and practice and so I kind of got to manage myself. It similar to an Augusta type week where when you get to Augusta National, you just want to spend all day there and um you know, got to really manage the way I do things and most of my prep work is done at home and then when I show up here at a tournament, you know, I feel like I’m ready to go. and most of it’s just getting used to the golf course, getting used to the bunkers and um greens and stuff like that. Did you feel like when you were like feeling that fatigue at the end of the season, did you feel like that was more mental or physical? I mean, probably more mental for sure. I think, you know, last year obviously was a great year and it was um you know, I would be tired for a variety of reasons at the end of the year. Um but like I said, it was a ton of fun. I wouldn’t wouldn’t trade it for anything. You know, it was um having that mental fatigue from beating contention a lot I think is is great. and um you know I was able to finish off the year the right way last year and so I definitely have a lot of a lot of good memories from last year that I can I can lean on for sure. Going to Mike 12 followed by Mike 15. Hi Scotty. Um obviously paired with Xander and Rory tomorrow for the first group. I mean just your reaction to that that group and what’s it like when you’re playing in major and you’re in one of those sort of marquee groups with two other big names, two other you know winners of major things like that. Just yeah your thoughts on that. I mean, it’s I’m playing with guy two guys that are playing some of the best golf in the world. You know, Xander won two majors last year and Rory already won a players and the Masters this year, so he’s playing some fantastic golf and um yeah, it should be a lot of fun. I, you know, I’ve seen that pairing before and um you know, we have a good time out there and uh it’s competitive and um you know, I think when when I look back on my career, these will be some of the fondest memories I have getting to play um with some of the best players in the world and compete to try and win uh win tournaments. You’ve talked a lot about being present in each tournament and not thinking about what you how you played the year before. You’ve mentioned we all started even par coming into the week, your win at the Byron Nelson. Do you feel that’s momentum coming into this week or have you kind of scratched that off and just kind of focusing on this week? Yeah, I mean I think there’s definitely a balance there. It would be silly to say that I can’t ride the positive momentum from a good week like that. I mean to finish off the tournament the way I did and have it not not really be too close on the back nine. I mean I played some really nice golf and um you know I talked a little bit about how I felt like my game was trending and so it was nice to to see some results from you know a lot of hard work to start the year and um I feel like my game’s in a good spot and so I think it’d be silly to say I can’t ride a little bit of that momentum going into this tournament. What were some of those things that you felt were trending? Well, I just felt like my swing was coming around. um felt like my ball striking maybe held me back a little bit at the beginning of the year and um you know I kept the ball I drove it really nice uh last week at at the Byron and hit some really good iron shots and was able to give myself a lot of looks around that golf course is what you need to do and was uh able to hold some putts as well. Allen on two Scotty you know Rory was pretty candid last year even in the start of this year that your excellent play was a motivator for him and when you see what he’s done these first four months does that give you a little fire? Yeah, I I got I gota ask that same question I think at the Byron and it’s it’s always motivating when you see when you just get beat and in golf you tend to get beat a lot like you don’t you don’t really get to win that many tournaments and um Rory’s been off to a great start this year and um you know he’s he’s definitely improved and made some changes in his game from last year and so um you know there’s always little things that I’m trying to do to get better and um you know I think that’s why we keep coming back. Golf’s kind of an endless pursuit of getting the best out of yourself and um you know I’m looking forward to continuing to do that as the year goes on. But like you said, Rory’s been been playing some great golf this year. Just to see it tangibly how much it meant to win the career grand slam and the outpouring that surrounded that. Is that does that bring it into focus for you a little bit more as as a goal? Um I I I don’t really set those types of goals for myself. I have, you know, some dreams and aspirations that I think about, but I I’ve always been at my best when I when I stay in the present. um that’s what works really well for me. You know, you have certain guys that’ll write down a bunch of goals at the beginning of the year and that’s what motivates them. But for me, I I do my best when I stay in the present. But it was really cool to to see Rory be able to finish that off and to be there for that moment. You know, he’s he’s a good buddy of mine out here. And so I was very happy for him and um you know that tournament and having to answer each year, you know, for a guy that’s had you know, one of the best careers in the history of the game. for him to sit in here, you know, week in week out and have to be asked about one single golf tournament. I’m sure it can be a bit frustrating. And um, you know, I’m sure that’s why there was so much emotion coming out of him. And I mean, it takes a a lifetime of of work to to be able to even have a chance to win major championships, let alone win all four of them. And so, um, you know, it’s pretty cool to see. Up here to Shane on 14. Uh, hey Scotty, I’ve been asking everybody this and you’ve gotten a couple shout outs, uh, in the process. a little bit of a hypothetical looking at driving putting approach around the green. If you were forced to trade one element of your game with any player currently playing, what part of the game would it be and who would you switch it with? Who would I trade? Like, yeah. So, like say, oh, I would trade approaches or putting with this person if you were forced to. Not, you know, you may choose not to, but if you had to. I mean, so like today I played I played a practice round with Sam Burns and I remember when we played the President’s Cup here in 2022. It was like he was putting to a hole that was the size of a basketball hoop. And so I I do a lot of practice rounds with Sam and he’s a tremendous putter. You know, I would I would trade that with him. I I think in our game there’s always little things that I look at in people’s games that I can improve on. Like you look at a guy like Rory, I mean I you’d be hardressed to find anybody that drove has drove the ball better than he has in the history of the game. He might be the best driver of the ball that we’ve ever seen. I mean, you had a guy like Tiger had a ton of speed, but Rory just has the accuracy is what sets him apart, too. He not only does he hit it really far, he hits it really straight. Um, and so, I mean, those are two two little examples just off the top of my head of of guys that I would trade with, but there’s there’s so much that I can learn learn from out here. Like, I play a lot of golf with Jordan at home, too, and the stuff that he does around the greens and the creativity that he plays with I can learn a lot from. And um you honestly I could go on and on because I I’ve always been a very visual learner. Like growing up the way I played um sorry where I practiced I was able to watch professional golfers all the time and I just learned so much just by sitting there and watching them. And then I would try to do the same thing. And now being out here playing all the time with the best players in the world. There’s always something that I could learn. I mean you know you look at a guy like John Rom like I love the way he plays with passion over every shot. Like he it’s very rare for him to lose focus and you kind of see that in his face when he plays. He plays so competitively. Tiger was kind of the same way where I mean I mean he was obviously Tiger was obviously the best at it but every shot he hit was the most important shot that he’s ever hit. I mean and so I could go on and on but those those are a few few small examples. Yeah. Thank you Dan on five. You’re one of the few guys who hasn’t played this course uh in recent years. I know you played the President’s Cup here, but I know last year I think it was you had the the baby coming, but uh do you feel like you’re sort of learning it for the first time? And what are your what are your impressions? Um, no. I mean, when you play the President’s Cup here, you play so many rounds. I mean, I played four competitive rounds and a bunch of practice rounds and, um, so getting to know the course, I mean, I kind of knew what to expect coming in, you know, with the rough and the way the greens are. And, um, most of it’s just getting used to the bunkers and I guess getting used to the rough, stuff like that. And so, I don’t feel like I’m playing any sort of catch-up getting ready for the week. Up here to 11. Uh, Scotty, when a course that’s already big like this one takes on this much water as it has in a short period of time, do you have to change anything about your mindset, your your bag setup or anything going into this week as you prepare? Um, as far as bag setup, there is a little bit of thinking to do whether or not I’ll use my fivewood or my three iron, but that’s pretty typical for a week. You know, I have felt like I have two really good weapons there in that part of the bag and each week I kind of have to just pick and choose. And um this week maybe more of a five fivewood week just because like you said the golf course is going to play really long. The rough is thick and um the runup areas after this kind of rain are going to be really soft and the greens are still going to be really firm because they’re new. So you have to be able to land the ball on the green. You can’t you can’t really run it up around this golf course. So that’s that’s one aspect that you got to think about. But as far as my approach to the course, not really. I mean I I know what my skill set is and um you know I’ll try to use that to my advantage and u you know hopefully hit some solid shots this week. Ron on six. Scotty, the last three holes here obviously get a lot of attention for the difficulty in that stretch. Is there one shot that’s the most intimidating or the most daunting when I mean I think the only shot you could really consider where you don’t have to be super focused on is a drive on 16. I mean the fairway is pretty wide and the hole is pretty long and um you know you’re really trying to get it down there as far as you can into the fairway. Um, but after that, I mean, the approach shot into 16 is really tough. The T-shot on 17 is really tough. And then you got two really challenging shots on 18 with the water on the left side. So, there’s no no real breathers in that stretch of holes and um should make for a a fun finish. Doug, right here. Scotty, there was a lot of talk about a a burden being lifted from Rory when he when he finally got the Masters. And I’m I’m curious if you’ve ever felt that. not not the Masters, but a burden being lifted, whether it was your first tour win, first major, first President’s Cup point, anything like that. Yeah, I mean, I think every time you accomplish something in this game, there’s there’s a little bit of that aspect just because, you know, I grew up as a kid, I wanted to play on the PJ tour, and I didn’t really get past that. And so, you know, winning for the first time, it it took me maybe a little longer than some people would have expected. Um, mostly just because I I had a lot of good starts out here, but I wasn’t I wasn’t winning, but I was playing consistently well enough to, you know, have a high world ranking or whatever it was. But I didn’t really have, you know, that great of an amateur career. When I when I first came out, you know, the guys that were being looked at, you know, um, I came out about the same time as like Victor Havland and Colin Morawa and Matthew Wolf at the time was um, you know, a really good prospect as well. And so I I kind of flew under the radar when I first came out. But I mean, every time you win out here, there there’s definitely a feeling of that burden being lifted just because it’s such a great accomplishment. You know, it’s not easy to win out here on every le on any level. And um every time you win a tournament, I mean, it’s a it’s a pretty cool feeling. Does it change anything going forward for you? Does it not really? Just show up the next week and even I mean, you show up the next week, but you like for instance, this week I’m showing up coming off of a tournament that I won, and that’s always a good feeling. Like you can definitely ride some of that momentum. I think when you when I look back at my career, it would be silly to say that I don’t ride some of the momentum from those wins. I I like to think I don’t ride a lot of the momentum from the mis cuts or poor starts or whatever it is, like I feel like I’ve always been pretty decent at bouncing back. You know, I look at a year like last year where I was tired at the end of the year and um I had a really poor start in Colorado going into East Lake and was able to to kind of bounce back and have a really good week at East Lake and and finish off the year the right way. And um you know when you look at when I got my first win in 2022, I won some tournaments pretty quickly after that. And so it would be it’d be silly to say that I don’t ride some of that momentum, but I do try to do my best to treat each week um as their own as their own tournament, but I mean it’s silly to not ride positive momentum. Over to Gabby on one. Scotty, um, now that you’ve kind of passed that hump of getting over the injury from the from earlier in the season, do you look back on it as something that might have been more difficult to kind of overcome and get used to playing with than you in initially imagined or what was it like battling that? Yeah, I mean, I I always focus so hard on my preparation when it comes to showing up to tournaments. And showing up to that first tournament at Pebble, it was not my normal preparation. You know, I’d only been hitting balls for less than a week, probably since the since I had surgery, and you know, I had put in a lot of hard work in the offseason to make some improvements to my game. And then all of a sudden, you kind of lose those when you have to go a month without being able to spend time in the gym and being able to do my normal practice. And so, I definitely started off the year um a bit more challenging than I would have expected going into the offseason just because, you know, of the injury. And so, um was it more difficult than I thought? I don’t think so. I think I had, you know, pretty fair expectations of myself. Um, and I knew it wasn’t going to be super easy, but at the end of the day, you know, it’s stuff happens, life happens. You know, I don’t regret anything that I did. It’s just uh, you know, it’s just one of those deals that that happens in life. Sometimes you get hurt and, you know, I can’t can’t live in a bubble. And you talk about being um, able to stay in the present. Do you think that just comes naturally to you or do you do certain things to keep yourself in the present or do you feel like things creep in ever that you just try to block out? Well, no. I think I think it’s always a battle to try to stay in the present. I think when I was in college, my my college coach did a really good job of helping me kind of learn that skill. You know, he he really preached on when you’re at the golf course, you’re at the golf course. When you’re in class, you’re in class. And, you know, when I’m out with doing stuff with my friends, like I don’t want to be at home hanging out with my wife thinking about my golf swing. you know, I don’t want to be out here at the golf course thinking about being at home. Like, we have certain time throughout the day, and I think when you’re in the present, you try to make the you’re able to make the most of those situations, whether it be, you know, enjoying them to the fullest or getting the most out of the work um that I put in when I’m at the golf course. So, I think it’s a constant constant battle. We’ll wrap things up up with Mike 19 and then Mike 7. Hey Scotty, kind of following up on Dan’s question earlier. When you don’t have as much experience at a course, how much do you rely on Teddy to kind of work your way to plot around? And what’s your guys’ relationship like when you guys are trying to figure out how to attack a golf course, especially at a major championship like this? Yeah, there’s I would say there’s certain golf courses on tour that there’s really a lot of there’s a big strategy component to. I mean, you think of a course like Hilton Head where um you know, each time you step on the T- box, there’s a thought into what club you’re going to hit just based on wind direction and pin placement and stuff like that. on this golf course with it being so big, it’s a little bit easier just to step on a tea box and like pretty much every hole as a driver. Um, outside of that, off the tea, there’s not really a bunch of strategy stuff you can do. But I I rely very heavily on Teddy week to week. I mean, he does all the prep work on the golf courses and yeah, I’ve I’ve played him time to time or year after year, but at the end of the day, like Teddy is the guy that I listen to. He knows where the good spots are. He knows where the bad spots are. And you know, one year we come to a golf course and um the rough may be light over a green in a certain area and the pitch shot’s really easy and then the next year we come back and for some reason the grass is totally different and now it’s a really hard shot. And so Teddy is the one that does all that prep work for me and I u I rely on him pretty heavily week to week. I know you said there’s not much you have to think about for for this course when you’re not on the tee but or Yeah. Well, just just off the tea specifically. I mean it’s pretty much a driver on each hole and um it’s pretty much it. What uh what hole do you have to put the most thought into for how to how to attack it here? I’d say probably that drivable one on the back. I think it’s um 14 or 15. 14. I’d say depending on the pin position that that would be the one that takes the most thought, but um most of the other holes off off the tea. I mean, you’re just trying to get the ball in the fairway really. And get the ball in the fairway probably as far as you can down there. Um just so you can have a shorter club into the firm greens. And I think going into the greens will be a lot of strategy, especially as they firm up just based on, you know, what what pins you’re able to attack and where your misses are supposed to be. I think there’ll be a lot of strategy. I think going into the greens just uh not as much off the tea. Alex. Yep. Hey, Scotty. Uh this field’s very unique in that the Corbage Financial team of the 20 best PGA professionals join you on a major stage. What is it specifically that impresses you the most about the PGA professionals that are able to compete and qualify this tournament year in year out? Yeah, I mean it’s a lot of fun to have those guys in in this tournament. You know, I think the PGA pros do a lot for the game of golf. you know, running tournaments all over the country, teaching people all over the country, and it’s a huge organization, and then they uh do a lot for our game. So, it’s it’s really fun to to have the guys here for a week and play and compete. And I mean, seems like each year you see a couple of them make the cut. And um you know, some of them definitely have the have the game to be out here. It just may not be the lifestyle that they want. And you know, like I said, they’re very important to the game of golf. So, it’s uh it’s good for us to have them out here for a week. Perfect. Thanks for your time, Scotty. Appreciate it.