Scottie Scheffler, Lee Trevino says, is “lovely.”
And “a super individual.”
And “unbelievable.”
But Trevino’s also scared.
The reason? Scheffler’s recent putting experimentation. The latest known change came when he unveiled a claw grip last December, and that followed a switch just over a year ago to the TaylorMade Spider mallet putter, and the start of work in 2023 with putting coach Phil Kenyon.
Trevino’s concern seemingly came from the claw grip. Before using it, Scheffler had won eight times, including a second Masters victory and an Olympic gold medal — though in his first tournament with it, the Hero World Challenge, Scheffler also won.
“He’s just a lovely guy,” Trevino said Thursday morning during Golf Channel’s coverage of the Players Championship. “I mean, he’s a super individual. I mean, we couldn’t have a better number one. … He’s unbelievable.
“Right now, here’s what scares me, is he is starting to experiment with his putter. He’s experimenting with different putters now, and he’s changed the grip. And winning seven tournaments and $62 million wasn’t enough, god dang it.”
At that point, Trevino laughed. As to why Scheffler would make the move? When he started using it, he said it was something that he and Kenyon had “fiddled around with” and that he saw “benefits” with it.
“I’m always looking for little ways to improve,” Scheffler said at the time.
Interestingly, the Scheffler conversation started with a question of whether Trevino would ever return to TV analysis, which led to this exchange:
Said announcer Mark Rolfing: “But is this something that you would ever consider doing again with …”
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Said Trevino: “Don’t even mention it.”
Said Rolfing: “Well, I just did.”
Said Trevino: “Because if you offer me $90, my wife will make me take the job. Really, my wife will make me take the job, you know. If I wanted to get into television, yes, I wouldn’t mind doing it on the equipment part of it, maybe. I actually think that we need to explain equipment and stuff. In other words, to, you know, to the person that’s buying it out there.
“But I study these guys the way that they play. They’re all coming inside now. I know because I’ve always been a big believer that to hit a golf ball, you gotta try to come in at 7 o’clock. I always told you that — 7 o’clock.”
In short, 7 o’clock refers to making contact inside — and Trevino said he has an eye for those who employ it. Specifically, he named Michael Kim — “one player out there that’s impressed me a little bit” — and Xander Schauffele.
And Scheffler.
“Scottie comes inside more than anybody else because his foot goes back,” Trevino said on Golf Channel. “And when your foot goes back, you’ll come inside more. …
“I told him, you’re cheating, boy, you’re hitting the ball at 8.”
Editor’s note: To watch Trevino’s complete interview on Golf Channel, please click here.
