AUGUSTA, Ga. — Ted Scott couldn’t believe what was happening to him.
Scott had no idea what would happen next. How could anyone?
This was 2022, and Scottie Scheffler approached Scott, who’d previously worked for Bubba Watson, about becoming his caddie.
Scott had been around Scheffler in tournament play at the 2021 Zurich Classic of New Orleans, where Scheffler paired with Watson.
A few months after Scott and Watson split, Scheffler called.
What a ride it’s been since.
Scheffler on Sunday won his second Masters in three years with Scott on the bag.
Add to that Scheffler’s victories this year at the Arnold Palmer Invitational and Players Championship, totaling more than $12 million in winnings, and Scott has earned more than $1.2 million in the past two months.
“When he called me, I had no idea he was that good,” Scott said Sunday, standing outside the Augusta National clubhouse minutes after Scheffler’s win. “We [Scott and Watson] were his partner in New Orleans, and I was like, ‘Yeah, he’s a good player, and he’s a great guy. I’d love to hang out with him.’ ’’
Scott said it took only two weeks with Scheffler before he realized he was in the presence of someone special.
“I was like, ‘This guy is really good,’ ’’ Scott said. “Now, it’s like, ‘Wow, he is really good.’ I’m surprised, too.’’
Scheffler’s ascent to the top of the sport has surprised a lot of people. His level of dominance — he strengthens his grip on the world No. 1 ranking every time he tees it up — has been dizzying.
Scheffler is not Tiger Woods. By comparison to Woods, who owned the sport for some two decades, his current heater represents a small sample size — nine wins since the 2021-22 season, including two Masters.
Having covered Woods’ entire career, I recall the way fellow players used to talk about Woods with awe in their voices. And I’m hearing similar reverence from Scheffler’s peers now.
“I have a long way to go to catch someone like him,’’ world No. 5 Xander Schauffele said.
“After watching Scottie this week, I know what to do if I really want to close this gap on what he’s doing and how impressive he’s playing,’’ said Collin Morikawa, who began the final round one shot behind Scheffler and finished seven shots back in a tie for third.
When I asked Scott what he believes Scheffler’s “superpower’’ is, he said, “What is he not good at?’’
“I think his superpower is people that are super powerful are good at everything, and he seems to be good at everything,’’ Scott went on. “He doesn’t really have a weakness. I think people created a weakness in his putting. He’s not a weak putter. He’s a good putter. He’s a very good putter.’’
Yes, that was the narrative attached to Scheffler for some of the past year when he wasn’t winning every tournament he entered.
Scheffler’s putting stats weren’t matching his ball-striking stats, which were essentially No. 1 across the board. So, the nitpicking began and reached a point where the general public probably thought Scheffler was three-putting.
The complaints about Scheffler’s mediocre putting became like saying that, yes, renown chef Jose Andres makes the best paella in the world but his flan is a little bit too firm.
There will be more nitpicking because that’s the nature of the society in which we live.
As the rest of the major championship season continues with the PGA Championship next month, then the U.S. Open in June and the British Open in July, all eyes will be on what Scheffler does. Some critics will wonder if Scheffler can win a major other than a Masters.
There was some talk before this Masters suggesting that Scheffler’s No. 1 world ranking was misleading because he wasn’t having to compete against the likes of Jon Rahm, Brooks Koepka, Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau and Cam Smith, who are all on the LIV Tour.
You know what you’re hearing from those critics now? Crickets, because Scheffler competed against all of those LIV players — 13 in all in the field this week — and dusted all of them.
“He’s special … but a different kind of special,’’ Scott said. “I think we’re all seeing it, and we’re all questioning, ‘Where did this come from?’
“Man … I’m just pinching myself, honestly.’’
