Scottie Scheffler Shows His Edge Amid 'Ridiculous' Ryder Cup Questions
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
Scottie Scheffler is known for his calm demeanor, laser focus, and a game that rarely flinches under pressure. But amid his BMW Championship run, the World No. 1 showed a different side, one that had clearly run out of patience.
On Thursday, after being pressed repeatedly about the upcoming Ryder Cup, Scheffler finally snapped after being asked how the crowd at Bethpage Black might compare to the atmosphere at Marco Simone Golf & Country Club in Rome two years ago.
OWINGS MILLS, MARYLAND - AUGUST 14: Scottie Scheffler of the United States walks from the second tee during the first round of the BMW Championship 2025 at Caves Valley Golf Club on August 14, 2025...
OWINGS MILLS, MARYLAND - AUGUST 14: Scottie Scheffler of the United States walks from the second tee during the first round of the BMW Championship 2025 at Caves Valley Golf Club on August 14, 2025 in Owings Mills, Maryland. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) More
Getty Images
"I love answering questions about the Ryder Cup, but this is ridiculous," the Texas native answered during his pre-tournament press conference. "We're at the BMW Championship. The Ryder Cup is over a month away."
He added, "If you want to talk about this week, let's talk about this week. If not, I've got practice to do. I'm getting ready for a golf tournament."
Scheffler, while not hostile, was firm and unmistakably fed up after facing six consecutive questions about the Ryder Cup.
His reaction mirrored frustrations Rory McIlroy has voiced throughout the season.
Most notably, McIlroy skipped all four media sessions at the PGA Championship in May, choosing silence over scrutiny after his driver failed a conformity test, an issue that was leaked to the press despite being confidential.
While Scheffler's similar situation remained under wraps, McIlroy became the headline, prompting him to avoid the spotlight and sidestep a barrage of repetitive questions.
The World No. 1, however, has remained present throughout the season. His frustration wasn't about the event itself but the timing of the questions.
And to be fair, the excitement is understandable. With the final Ryder Cup roster set to be announced after the Tour Championship on Aug. 27, anticipation is building.
That said, fans and media alike are eager to dissect every pairing, every captain's pick, and every hint of strategy. But amid that, Scheffler's point stands: The BMW Championship is a pivotal leg of the FedEx Cup Playoffs, and he's there to win.
On Thursday, Scheffler opened with a 4-under 66 at Caves Valley Golf Club, placing him in solo third behind Robert MacIntyre's scorching 62. He birdied three of his final four holes after a rain delay, taking full advantage of softened greens and cooler conditions.
"Golf course definitely got a bit easier," Scheffler told reporters after his Day 1. "Did a good job of taking advantage of the holes I had left."
As of Round 2, the four-time major winner tees off at 1:38 p.m. ET, paired again with McIlroy. With four wins this season, including the PGA Championship and The Open, he remains the FedEx Cup points leader and a lock for Team USA.
He's also confirmed to play the Procore Championship in Napa, a warm-up event as planned by captain Keegan Bradley to keep players sharp ahead of the Ryder Cup.
More Golf: Rory McIlroy Discloses Real Reason for Sitting Out Playoff Opener
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
18 minutes ago
- Yahoo
MacIntyre posts a 64 and builds 5-shot lead over Scheffler at BMW Championship
OWINGS MILLS, Md. (AP) — One day it was the putter, another day it was the irons. No one had a lower score than Robert MacIntyre both of those rounds at the BMW Championship, and his reward for his 6-under 64 on Friday was a five-shot lead over Scottie Scheffler going into the weekend. MacIntyre closed with six straight birdies in the opening round for a 62, and he started the second round with a shot into 5 feet on the 476-yard first hole for another birdie. He kept bogeys off his card this time and set a daunting target at 14-under 126. Scheffler spent the steamy afternoon trying to keep in range. He had to settle for six pars at the end for a 65 and was at 9-under 131, at least booking a spot in the final group. Ludvig Aberg shot 64 and was another stroke back. It was the largest 36-hole lead at the BMW Championship since Jason Day led by five shots in 2015 at Conway Farms. Day went on to win by six. 'It's only 36 holes gone. There's a long way to go,' MacIntyre said. 'I'm comfortable with who I am. I'm comfortable with the team around me, and I'm comfortable on this golf course. Just go and play golf.' He has made it look as easy as it sounds on a Caves Valley course that has been renovated, lengthened, has new greens and still hasn't put up too much resistance without much wind. MacIntyre still putted well, except for the 5-foot birdie he missed on the 18th and another birdie chance inside 8 feet on the eighth hole. He has gained 6.8 shots on the field in putting through 36 holes to lead the key putting statistic. But he was rarely out of position even when he missed a fairway or green. 'Yesterday the putter was on fire. Today I felt like my iron play was exceptional,' MacIntyre said. 'Obviously, coming from links golf back out to throwing darts is a bit different technique-wise, turf-wise, so it took a little bit of readjusting, but I've got the hang of it.' Scheffler had his 15th consecutive sub-70 round and pulled within five shots on No. 12 when he hit a 4-iron from 221 yards to 7 feet for birdie. But he had only two reasonable chances from the 15-foot range the rest of the way. 'Bogey-free is always nice,' Scheffler said. 'I would have liked to get to have gotten a couple better looks down the stretch, but didn't hit as many fairways the last few holes, and out here with the way the holes are shaped, you've got to be in play. Did a good job of saving pars when I needed to on the back.' Hideki Matsuyama has yet to make bogey over 36 holes, even more remarkable because he has been feeling ill this week. That much was clear when he came out of scoring and headed straight for the car, a Japanese television crew hustling to try to catch up with him. He shot 64 and was alone in fourth place, still seven shots behind. Michael Kim had a 66 and was in the group tied for fifth that included Tommy Fleetwood (69), still eight shots behind. The position on the leaderboard is more meaningful to Kim than how far he is behind. The top 30 in the FedEx Cup advance to the Tour Championship next week, and Kim needs to finish around this spot to advance. Kim and Harry Hall, who had a 67 and was tied for eighth, were the only two projected to move into the top 30 with 36 holes still to play. Hall, the Englishman who played his college golf at UNLV, has quietly had a good year and is turning heads with his efficient swing and improved putting. He has four top 10s and has missed only three cuts in 23 starts. Hall has finished out of the top 25 only once in his last 10 starts. As much as he wants to be at East Lake, he now is in the conversation for the Ryder Cup. He says he has received a few text messages from European captain Luke Donald, but he has not been fitted for a uniform. Rory McIlroy, playing for the first time since the British Open, was paired with Scheffler for two days. He overcame an early double bogey to post a 66, leaving him 10 shots behind. 'I think I'm just playing my own tournament at this point,' McIlroy said. 'I just want to try to play a good weekend and feel a little bit better about my game going into the Tour Championship.' Taylor Pendrith of Richmond Hill, Ont., was the leading Canadian with a 68 that left him 12 shots back and tied for 11th. Nick Taylor of Abbotsford, B.C., climbed eight spots into a tie for 22nd with a 68 and Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont., fell 13 spots into a tie for 28th after a 71. ___ AP golf: Doug Ferguson, The Associated Press
Yahoo
37 minutes ago
- Yahoo
BMW Championship 2025: Third-round tee times, TV times, how to watch second playoff event
The BMW Championship, the PGA Tour's second playoff event, continues Saturday at Caves Valley Golf Club outside of Baltimore, Maryland. Golf Channel, NBC and Peacock will have coverage. Here's how you can watch Round 3: Saturday, Aug. 16 1-3PM: Golf Channel/NBC Sports app 3-6PM: NBC/Peacock Round 3 tee times at Caves Valley Time Tee Players 9:10 AMEDT 1 Ryan Gerard 9:17 AMEDT 1 Sam Stevens Andrew Novak 9:28 AMEDT 1 Brian Campbell Lucas Glover 9:39 AMEDT 1 Thomas Detry Ryan Fox 9:50 AMEDT 1 Sungjae Im Jhonattan Vegas 10:01 AMEDT 1 Xander Schauffele Akshay Bhatia 10:12 AMEDT 1 Collin Morikawa Justin Thomas 10:28 AMEDT 1 Tom Hoge J.T. Poston 10:39 AMEDT 1 Keegan Bradley Chris Gotterup 10:50 AMEDT 1 Brian Harman Bud Cauley 11:01 AMEDT 1 Corey Conners Justin Rose 11:12 AMEDT 1 Nick Taylor Matt Fitzpatrick 11:23 AMEDT 1 Cameron Young Kurt Kitayama 11:39 AMEDT 1 Daniel Berger Jacob Bridgeman 11:50 AMEDT 1 Ben Griffin Si Woo Kim 12:01 PMEDT 1 Shane Lowry Patrick Cantlay 12:12 PMEDT 1 Denny McCarthy J.J. Spaun 12:23 PMEDT 1 Harris English Jason Day 12:34 PMEDT 1 Rickie Fowler Taylor Pendrith 12:50 PMEDT 1 Rory McIlroy Russell Henley 1:01 PMEDT 1 Sam Burns Viktor Hovland 1:12 PMEDT 1 Maverick McNealy Harry Hall 1:23 PMEDT 1 Tommy Fleetwood Michael Kim 1:34 PMEDT 1 Ludvig Åberg Hideki Matsuyama 1:45 PMEDT 1 Robert MacIntyre Scottie Scheffler
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Scotland's Robert MacIntyre moves into commanding halfway lead
Robert MacIntyre surged into a five-shot lead at the halfway stage of the BMW Championship as he added a second-round 64 to his opening 62 at Caves Valley Golf Club. Scotland's MacIntyre produced six birdies in his flawless second round to reach 14 under in the second FedEx Cup play-off event. That left him five clear of world number one Scottie Scheffler, who carded a 65 to sit one ahead of Sweden's Ludvig Aberg. MacIntyre birdied the first after a fine approach to inside five feet, before further gains from 14 feet at the fourth and seven feet at the seventh. He picked up another shot at the 11th after driving the green at the par four, holed from 30 feet at the 14th and completed his scoring by reaching the par-five 16th in two and two-putting for birdie as he chases a third PGA Tour title. 'I've always said when I'm comfortable with a putter in my hands, it's a dangerous thing,' MacIntyre said in quotes reported on the PGA Tour website. 'The priority is getting that putter face as square as I can at impact, which is not rocket science, but it's difficult to do. 'For me, that's the priority now, just to go and do that. Then when you get in a certain range, it's all pace putting and touch, and my touch is normally pretty good. 'I feel like this week I've really done a good job of getting it underneath the hole to be able to be aggressive with an uphill putt.' England's Tommy Fleetwood, who had been second overnight, slipped into a tie for fifth with a second-round 69 in Maryland. Fleetwood's compatriot Harry Hall put himself just inside the projected cut mark for the season-ending Tour Championship as a 67 left him in a share of eighth place. Only the top 30 in the FedEx Cup standings will proceed to East Lake in Atlanta with Hall currently projected to climb 15 places and take the final spot in the field.
