Memorial: Jack Nicklaus Has Eye-Opening Scottie Scheffler Proclamation

Newsweek

02-06-2025

Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
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Scottie Scheffler won the Memorial Tournament for the second straight year, joining Tiger Woods as the only two players to conquer Muirfield Village in consecutive seasons.
He began the day holding a one shot advantage over Ben Griffin, the North Carolinian who won last week's Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial. Griffin has been red-hot as of late, too, but Scheffler slammed the door shut on him down the stretch in Ohio on Sunday.
After missing the fairway and making a bogey on the par-4 10th, Scheffler canned back-to-back birdie tries on the 11th and 12th holes. Meanwhile, Griffin missed a short birdie try on 11 and then bogeyed the 12th and 13th, which increased Scheffler's lead to four with five holes to play. The engraver could have started to etch Scheffler's name into the trophy at that point.
Jack Nicklaus and Scottie Scheffler pose for photos with the trophy after Scheffler won the 2025 Memorial Tournament at Muirfield Village Golf Club on June 01, 2025 in Dublin, Ohio.
Jack Nicklaus and Scottie Scheffler pose for photos with the trophy after Scheffler won the 2025 Memorial Tournament at Muirfield Village Golf Club on June 01, 2025 in Dublin, Ohio.Yet, Griffin, a fiery player whose confidence only continues to increase, made an eagle on the par-5 15th. He then sunk a long birdie putt on the par-3 16th to apply some pressure and suddenly, Scheffler's lead dwindled from four to two with two to play.
"I told myself when we were standing there on 17 tee, if [Griffin] eagles 15, birdies 16 and 17 and 18, we deserve to be in a playoff," Scheffler said after.
"I can't stop him from playing great golf, but all I can do is just go out there and try and execute. I hit the fairway on 17, hit the green, gave myself a good look.
When you're in the rough out here, it's really challenging, and [Griffin] put it in the rough on 17, which makes that hole extremely difficult, and paid the price for an errant tee shot."
Griffin walked away with a double while Scheffler penciled in a four into his scorecard.
It was over, leaving Scheffler with an easy stroll up to the 18th green, where a victorious handshake with tournament host Jack Nicklaus awaited.
"I think that great players are ones who rise to the occasion and are ones who know how to play coming down the stretch in important events," Nicklaus said after the tournament ended.
"[Scheffler is] a great player. I mean, look at the record that he has had the last few years. It's unbelievable."
Scheffler won his 16th PGA Tour title on Sunday, all of which have come since February 2022. He's on a remarkable tear, one that makes the game look so easy and so simple. He hits fairways and greens routinely, rarely putting himself out of position.
Why is the Memorial one of my favorite tournaments of the year?
Well the biggest reason has to do with Jack, and the way he makes himself available during this week every year. For my entire life, I have loved hearing his insight, especially at Muirfield Village, whether it be… pic.twitter.com/7FcZ4NMF3z — Jack Milko (@jack_milko) June 2, 2025
His mental toughness is unflappable too, which led Nicklaus, the winningest major champion of all time, to make quite the declaration on Sunday evening.
"I don't think I played nearly as well as he played," Nicklaus said of Scheffler.
"He's playing better than I played and more consistent. He's just been playing fantastic, and I love watching him play. Whether it's here or on the television or whatever it is, I love to watch. Anytime he's playing, I want to watch."
Scheffler smiled at the comment, but did not add anything further. He's a man of humility, an individual who never gets too far ahead of himself. He also does not have a big ego whatsoever.
He is focused solely on the present and on his process to prepare. Higher than those items on his priority list are his faith and his family.
But he is also intense, and he takes that intensity and tries to apply it to each and every shot — one of the many reasons why he has won so much over the past three years.
"Early in my career I felt like I didn't bring enough intensity to the first couple rounds. Like I would bring a lot of intensity on Saturday and Sunday, but I was always kind of on the outside looking in when it came to leaderboards, and that's one thing I think that Tiger was really good at was bringing that level of intensity to each and every shot," Scheffler said.
"I never got to play with Mr. Nicklaus, but I would assume that's probably a pretty similar thought process that he brought to each round. And each tournament week feels like a marathon, especially when you're playing a difficult golf course like this, so it's just more important to stay in the proper head space and try and hit shots and then go from there."
That increased intensity has turned Scheffler into a Hall of Fame player, or perhaps even better than that, as Nicklaus so aptly put it.
More Golf: The Memorial: Ben Griffin Reveals Frightening Reason For His Sunglasses