“He's a guy that’s never really out of a hole” – Scottie Scheffler gives his candid take on PGA Tour rival Xander Schauffele
Scottie Scheffler was full of praise for Xander Schauffele following the first round of the FedEx St. Jude Championship. He complimented his PGA Tour rival's consistency, referring to him as someone who is never 'out of a hole.'
On Thursday, August 15, Scheffler carded a 4-under 66 in the opening round of the FedEx St. Jude Championship. While he picked up five birdies and made one bogey in his round, Schauffele went bogey-free in his first-round 66.
Speaking at the post-round interview, Scottie Scheffler showered praise on Xander Schauffele.
"I think he's really consistent," he said. "He's a guy that he's never really out of a hole. Sometimes throughout the course of a round you feel like he's going to make a mistake and he bounces back really quickly, and he's also a tremendously hard worker, so you like seeing guys like that have success.
The World No. 1 golfer added that competing against the two-time major champion was fun.
"It's fun competing with your friends, but we want to beat up on each other, so it's a lot of fun playing with the best players and competing."
Scottie Scheffler and Xander Schauffele are two of the most consistent players on the PGA Tour at the moment. Additionally, both are frontrunners for the PGA Tour Player of the Year award. While Scheffler has an edge with six wins and an Olympic gold medal earlier this month, Schauffele also had a remarkable season with two major championship victories.
When will Scottie Scheffler tee off at the FedEx St. Jude Championship, Round 2?
Scottie Scheffler is paired with Xander Schauffele for the second round of the FedEx St. Jude Championship. The duo will tee off on Friday, August 16, at 10:35 am ET.
Scheffler and Schauffele are tied for fifth place with five other players at 4-under. They are two strokes behind Chris Kirk, who fired a 64 in the opening round. Hideki Matsuyama, Matthieu Pavon, and Taylor Pendrith are tied for second, one stroke back.
The second round of the FedEx St. Jude Championship will tee off at 8:20 am ET, with Viktor Hovland and Erik van Rooyen being the first pair to resume play on Friday. Nick Dunlap and Jhonattan Vegas, who will tee off at 2:15 pm ET, will be the last duo to begin their round on Friday.