Q. Did you notice much after the rain delay, how it played differently, if you changed up what you did?
SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: Significantly softer. The fairways were really rolling out to start the day. Greens were firm. So yeah, golf course changed pretty significantly after the delay.
Q. Were you able to be a little more aggressive with your putts on the greens? You made three solid birdies coming in.
SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: More aggressive with the putts, not really. If you look at a pin, like the pin on 16, the par-5, with how firm it was earlier, it can be a tough pin to get to, as well as the pin on 15. There's a lot of slope there, and I hit a cut and it landed right of the pin and it stays on the green, whereas if I played that hole before the rain delay, it may have landed there and kicked off into the first cut, maybe even the rough. Golf course definitely got a bit easier but did a good job of taking advantage of the holes I had left.
Q. Walk me through what went on on 17 and how nice a break it was to be able to get that to drop and get that set up to get up-and-down.
SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: Yeah, I hit a shot into the grandstands. It's a pretty tough hole; 240 into the wind with water. I still don't fully understand that sometimes.
But played to the smart side, just pulled it a little bit and was able to get a drop there by the grandstand, and it was a nice up-and-down.
Q. How did you spend the rain delay?
SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: I had some food. Bennett and Mer were here so we hung out in dining for a while and just chilled, hung out with the Burneses. My parents are here and Sam's parents are here, as well, so we were kind of just chilling, hanging out, eating food, chasing kids around pretty much.
Q. Do you enjoy being paired with a player like Rory?
SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: Yeah, I mean, it's really fun. I think it's a real treat to be able to come out here and compete against the best players in the world week in and week out and there's nothing better than playing with Rory. He's obviously a very talented player, and we always have fun together on the course.
Q. What were your impressions of the course?
SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: Yeah, golf course is in good shape. We'll see how it plays over the next few days. I would have preferred to not get the rain to keep the firmness of the golf course, but overall we'll see how it develops and changes over the next few days, and we'll see.
Q. What were your most pleased with with your game?
SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: I had a great start and a great finish. In between was a little bit "meh." I don't know, I felt like I hit a lot of fairways today, I think. I maybe missed one on 16 and I think I missed a fairway on 10, but other than that, I was in the fairway a lot today. Last week I felt like I didn't drive it as good as I would have hoped to, so going into this week, I felt like I definitely drove it better around this course.
Q. It felt like you stared at your approach to 11 for a really long time --
SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: Oh, yes.
Q. What was going through your head and what were you expecting?
SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: Well, typically around most places when you hit it right of the pin, it kind of stays somewhat around there, but for some reason they decided to put that pin right on a mound in the middle of the green there. Very interesting pin location, and I landed just behind it, and then it catches another slope. I stared at it for a while because I thought I hit a really good shot, and it almost went in the water, so I was just a little bit surprised at the result of the shot that I hit.
Q. It looked like you handled it well.
SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: Well, thanks.
Q. Is there a situation where you would try to drive the fifth green or take that shot on?
SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: I still have not figured out how to play that hole. Game-time decision.
Q. Do you think you could do a multitude of things there?
SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: I mean, it depends -- that one is totally pin dependent. We fooled around with that front left pin during the practice round, and it's just -- it's quite small. It's an interesting design. I'd like to hear what a lot of other people have to say about it. I find it very interesting.
There is a way to play it, it's just a matter of getting the ball there. But you do have some options. Depending on green firmness, I think that'll also have a pretty significant effect on what we try to do there.
Q. About this stretch here, you've been pretty clear the last couple years about not being completely satisfied with the season-long race when it comes down to that last event. But the way we have it now, whoever wins the FedExCup next week, is that the season-long champion? Could be someone like Patrick Cantlay, for example, which not to dog on Patrick --
SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: We're just going to name guys now? My goodness.
Q. Is that thing on? You know what I mean.
SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: No, I think when you look at the FedExCup, I think it's a greater discussion. Like if you're going to have a true season-long race, truly the best player every year wins, odds are it's not going to come to an interesting of a conclusion in most years.
I think most years it's pretty obvious who the Player of the Year is going to be. It's always up for a small debate, but I think the players for the most part have an understanding of who the best player was for that year each time, and I feel like it's been like that since I've been watching golf.
We play so many tournaments, and I think what we're looking for in the TOUR Championship, when you look at playoffs, when you think about the playoffs --
Q. Post-season.
SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: Post-season. In order to win the FedExCup, you have to play good golf at the right time. In our sport, in order to accomplish what you want to accomplish, you have to play good golf at the right time. If you want to win major championships, you have to play great golf major championship weeks. If I want to win the FedExCup this year, I have to have a great week next week.
You kind of throw out what happened the rest of the year. I think when you get the reward for getting to the TOUR Championship, I think that's really what we're looking at is once you get to the TOUR Championship you've had a great season, and now you have an opportunity to go out and win the FedExCup, but you have to play good golf at the right time.
I was pretty adamant that our old format was not the right way to do it. I was a fan of the points format, but it got confusing for the casual fan, I think, when you look at our post season, and I think now it'll be a cool format where you show up next week, everybody is at even and it's time to go chase what you want, and that's the FedExCup.
Q. What is the FedExCup, just a really good trophy at the end of the year?
SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: In order to win the FedExCup, you have to be one of the 30 best players for the entire year, and you've got to show up at East Lake and have a great tournament. I think when you look at our sport, most of it is competed over four days, and you've got four days to go out and win the FedExCup.
Q. Do you feel like you won the FedExCup after Wyndham? Do you know what I mean by that?
SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: No.
Q. Would you separate Player of the Year from the FedExCup in that regard?
SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: Well, I think they're two different things. All it is is you're trying to strike a balance between rewarding great play throughout the regular season and rewarding great play in the playoffs. In order to win the FedExCup, you have to put together a great body of work. For you to qualify for the TOUR Championship, especially without winning a tournament, means you had a great, consistent year.
Q. That's your body of work?
SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: That's your body of work. Playing consistent golf out here and making it to the TOUR Championship without winning a golf tournament is pretty difficult. You look at -- I'm not going to name names, Doug, but you look at seasons like some players have without winning and making it to the FedExCup final, that's a really good year.
I think it's extremely hard to win out here on TOUR, and I think a lot of times the media is always looking for something where we're looking for a perfect finish to the year. Look at what LIV is doing with their final tournament. I tried to read about it the other day; I still can't figure out what they're trying to do with the final tournament. It's not easy to figure out a true season-long race, and I think when you're looking for an interesting finish to the year, I think we've got it down pretty good where you have 25, 30 weeks to prove yourself to get into the TOUR Championship and then it's game on.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports