Ted Scott on the Bag for Scheffler's First PGA Tour Win At WM Phoenix Open
For those who don’t know, Arccos Ambassador, Ted Scott, is a successful PGA Tour Caddie.
With many years of experience on Bubba’s bag he recently began working with Scottie Scheffler. And now Scottie is a winner on the PGA TOUR. Scheffler fired a 62 on Saturday at the WM Phoenix Open and carded a 4-under 67 to get to 16-under for the tournament before defeating Patrick Cantlay in a three-hole playoff for his first win of his PGA TOUR career.
We’ve connected with Ted to get his take on Scottie’s exciting win.
What was it like to win so quickly with Scottie?
I feel very fortunate to be with him for his first win. He was very successful already, a Ryder Cup Hero, and many players and caddies believed he would win soon. I didn’t realize how good he was until I worked for him. I don’t take any of the credit for his win. I had a great time of course! It’s an electric atmosphere in Scottsdale every year!
For amateurs that might get to play TPC Scottsdale, what is your best coach/caddie tip for success?
Putting is very tricky when playing desert golf. Often what appears to be flat, will have some break. So when it seems or looks straight, there’s a turquoise blue steeple off-site that you can see from the course. It’s southwest in direction. Those specific putts tend to break subtly that way! And finally, keep your ball out of the desert. Golf balls don’t typically stop rolling in the desert until the get under a bush or cactus. You can play from everywhere else. Good luck!
Can you describe the atmosphere at the 16th hole at TPC Scottsdale?
It has the energy of a Ryder Cup. However, they will not be quiet when you are hitting and actually boo you if you don’t hit it close. But they will love you if you hit a quality shot. It’s quite fun! It can be difficult to deal with the adrenaline spike you get when hitting on that hole. Normally, you don’t get that adrenaline if you are playing poorly on Thursday and Friday (say missing the cut). Then for one hole, it’s like you are in the lead all of the sudden. If you are playing well, you have been playing with adrenaline all day. But you still get a spike on that hole. So the ball goes farther and the green plays smaller than it looks due to run offs. It’s not easy under the circumstances!
How do you plan to keep the momentum going at Riviera?
Execution! RIV is one of the toughest courses we play. The Kikuyu grass is very difficult to chip out of and play out of from variant shots. It looks very short and seems easy, and then you attempt to hit a shot. The greens play very small and you cannot run the ball or bounce the ball onto the green very well. So they get even smaller. It takes very precise shot making. The putting surfaces are amazing. But they are poa annua grass. So by the afternoon, they start budding and the ball rolls a little shaky. It’s my favorite course on tour! But you better be clicking on all cylinders, especially commitment, or it will chew you up!
We know you like to provide your Sunday Sermons on Instagram, any special message you can share for Team Arccos?
Most of my Sunday Sermons are about perspective and attitude. Attitude trickles downhill. So my advice would be to get around great people. Iron sharpens iron. It will help you have a great attitude and a great day just by spending time with them. And be thankful for all the things in your life. When you are you will see how your daily walk feels and looks so much better! (@jtedscott on Instagram)