Scottie Scheffler enjoyed a perfect weekend on the course at the PGA Championship, but he also proved to Amanda Balionis that his wit is as sharp as his putting
Scottie Scheffler’s interview with Amanda Balionis was amusing (Image: X/GolfonCBS)
One of the few hiccups Scottie Scheffler endured at Quail Hollow came in his post-third-round interview with CBS’ Amanda Balionis. Scheffler, 28, lifted his third major title by winning the PGA Championship in Charlotte.
While there were many memorable moments from his weekend, one golf fans found amusing came away from the greens, as he spoke to Balionis. At the time, the World No. 1 had engineered himself a three-shot lead going into the final round, after a superb round of 65.
It was a close to perfect round of golf, which he would have been pleased with. Yet, things did not go quite as well in his interview with the CBS journalist, as he felt something in his throat.
Just as Balionis was asking her first question, Scheffler started coughing, prompting the experienced reporter to think on her feet to block out the noise of him mildly choking.
As he started coughing, Balionis said: “Scottie, you began the day at three back…plus you have a cough.”
Realizing she needed to quickly adapt to the situation, she then said: “The allergies here are really bad in Charlotte, that’s our first breaking news of this evening.”
Acknowledging that Balionis was relying on her good humor to try and prevent the interview from going awry, Scheffler started doing some comic work of his own, joking: “Sorry, I’m just nervous.”
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Amused by the world No. 1’s response, Balionis started laughing herself, as a media coordinator and runner did their best to find Scheffler a bottle of water. Responding to his quip, she sarcastically said: “You haven’t done one of these before” while he continued clearing his throat.
Fortunately for Scheffler, he certainly did not choke in the final round. Initially, it looked like it was going to be a difficult day for him, as he hit three bogeys in his opening nine holes, while Jon Rahm ate up the deficit to get himself level at the halfway point.
However, Scheffler found his best form to hit three birdies in the back-nine, while the Spaniard disintegrated, hitting a bogey and a brace of double-bogeys in the final holes. When his third major was secured, Scheffler let his emotions run free.
Scheffler managed to clear his throat and his nerves to win the major(Image: Getty Images)
He said: “It was a long week. I felt like this was as hard as I battled for a tournament in my career. This was a pretty challenging week. The first two days, I did not swing it my best, and I was able to post a score, somehow.
“Outside of the last five holes [Saturday], that’s where I really kind of put myself ahead in the tournament. I mean, the back nine [Sunday] was pretty special as well. But [Saturday] the way I finished off that round, I think it was really important for me to have a lead to play with.
“I played with it a little bit more than I would have liked to. I think at one point in the tournament, I was tied for the lead on the back nine, but I stepped up when we needed to, and it was a pretty special week.”
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