How one competitive round of golf with Tiger Woods completely changed Scottie Scheffler's career

Scottie Scheffler has described how one round of golf with Tiger Woods inspired him to become a winner but he is not comfortable being compared to the 15-time major champion.

Scheffler enters this week's Tour Championship as the undisputed World No.1 following another stellar season, winning the PGA Championship and The 153rd Open while adding three further PGA Tour victories.

But he revealed that his winning mentality was inspired by his only competitive round with Woods on the final day of the Covid-delayed Masters in 2020, an experience which gave Scheffler a fresh, more intense mindset on his approach to tournaments.

It's an approach that has taken the Texan to the top of the game, and his stunning form over the last few years has, inevitably, drawn comparisons with Woods, which Scheffler has described as "silly". 

"I think in the simplest form, I think it's very silly to be compared to Tiger Woods," said Scheffler. "I think Tiger is a guy that stands alone in the game of golf, and I think he always will. 

"Tiger inspired a whole generation of golfers. You've grown up watching that guy do what he did week in, week out, it was pretty amazing to see.

"I talk about a mental change I made because I've only played one round of tournament golf with Tiger Woods, and it completely changed the way I look at how I play tournaments.

"I just admired the intensity that Tiger brought to each round, and that's something that I try to emulate"

"I played with him on the Sunday at the 2020 Covid Masters, and I can't tell you the look on his face when we got to the first green. We're in about 20th place and just kinda playing, and I look over and this guy is just locked in.

"I was taken aback, I was like, 'holy smokes'. Then we got to the second hole, and he had this chip shot and he looked at it like it was an up-and-down to win the tournament. It was incredible, I'd never seen anything like this before in my life.

"I think he made a 10 on the 12th hole, and he birdied, I think, five of the last six. I was like, 'what's this guy still playing for? He's won the Masters four or five times, and the best finish he's going to have is 20th place at this point'.

"My biggest takeaway from playing with Tiger was the amount of intensity that he took to every shot, he was just different in the sense of the way he approached each shot, it was like the last shot he was ever going to hit.

"I just admired the intensity that he brought to each round, and that's something that I try to emulate. I think Tiger completely transcended the game of golf.

"But when it comes to me, I don't even like comparisons to other players, because I'm doing the best I can to be the best version of myself. 

"I don't think about legacy, I don't think about the past and I try to get the most out of myself each week. But I just don't really love the comparisons at all."

Scheffler's bid for another FedExCup title is also boosted by the return of regular caddie, Ted Scott, who had to depart during the FedEx St Jude Championship due to attend a private family matter.

"It's extremely important to have Ted back on the bag," Scheffler added. "I don't think it's any secret that my career trajectory changed quite a bit when he came on the bag. 

"I went from a guy that hadn't won on Tour to a guy that started winning at a pretty good pace immediately upon him entering the picture. I think what Ted has meant to me on the golf course, I think the results really do speak for themselves. 

"He's a great asset for me on the golf course. He's a great friend, and I feel like we're a really good team. Obviously he's got some personal stuff still going on that I'm not going to elaborate on, but it's really great to have him back on the bag this week."