Scottie Scheffler has suggested that anyone who thinks that driving accuracy is not important at this week’s US Open is in for a nasty surprise at Shinnecock Hills.
Scheffler goes into the third major of the year as the big favourite. Of course, a victory for the world number one on his 30th birthday would see him complete the Career Grand Slam.
But the US Open tends to provide the toughest test in golf. And only a handful of players have finished under par when the US Open has been at Shinnecock.
Scottie Scheffler reacts to the setup at Shinnecock Hills ahead of the US Open
Early signs suggest that the rough is particularly brutal. However, the fairways are also looking quite generous considering how narrow they were when the event last stopped in Southampton back in 2018.
The main challenge, it seems, is finding the right part of the green with approach shots. There are plenty of tricky run-off areas, while it seems imperative that players find the right portion of the putting surfaces.
However, that does not mean that players are able to relax off the tee. Speaking to the media ahead of Thursday’s opening round, Scheffler issued his verdict on the setup the USGA have opted for this week.
“I feel like the USGA is doing a good job of trying to strike a balance between having things be the most difficult they possibly can be while also still rewarding the shots hit that are really good,” he said.
“I think with the way the game of golf is going, guys are getting so good, it’s getting increasingly harder and harder in order to have winning scores be over par, or whatever somebody would want them to be. It’s getting increasingly harder I think for that to happen.
“When you look at this golf course specifically, a good shot off the tee more often than not is going to end up in the fairway. I think sometimes it can turn into a little bit of a bomb-and-gouge type of test when nobody can hit the fairway. I think you can have fairways that are too small and if they get really firm, all of a sudden nobody can hit the fairway. Then it’s like, all right, well, I’m probably not going to hit this fairway. I better just get it up there somewhere so I can get up on the green.
“I think the USGA and what’s really good about I think some of these major championship setups is a little bit of the variety that we see from year to year on these courses. This course, having wider fairways, but then the greens play really, really small. So I think you kind of have an interesting paradox between those two, wide fairways and greens that play quite small.”
Scottie Scheffler suggests how important driving accuracy will be
Aronimink provided a big surprise during last month’s PGA Championship. Many will remember Rory McIlroy claiming that there was little need for strategy off the tee.
The golf course took that personally. It ended up being a brutal test for anyone who was struggling with the driver in hand. And it proved to be one of the most accurate players on the PGA Tour who ended up winning, in Aaron Rai.
So perhaps it is no surprise that Scheffler took exception with the notion that some may think that accuracy is not crucial this week at Shinnecock.
“I would say driving accuracy is extremely important. There might be a couple holes, but you put a 20-mile-an-hour wind out there, these fairways with how firm they are, are not going to play super wide,” he said.
“I think when you look at your poor tee shots hitting it into in the rough in this fescue, it’s going to be virtually impossible to get the ball on the green. I think that’s really good.
“I think when you hit a drive into the fairway, you should have a chance to hit a really good shot and get it on the green. When you miss the fairway, for the most part, it should be a challenge to get your ball onto the green. I think with the high grass you have around those fairways, it provides that challenge.
“I think when you get further out into the crowd, since there’s no real thing to block it, then you can kind of get a little bit lucky, but if you’re hitting the ball barely offline here, you’re going to have some trouble getting the ball out onto the greens.”
The golfing world is yet to see the very best of Scheffler this season. It would certainly be a fantastic time for the four-time major champion to recapture the magic that we have seen so many times in the last few years.
