THE MODERATOR: We're here with Scottie Scheffler, 1-over 71. We'll open it up for questions.
Q. How would you sum up the week?
SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: I mean, it was a battle all week. The golf course was challenging. I felt like I did some good things. I felt like there are some things that I could have improved on. I felt close again. It's just, like, little things, little things here and there.
Today I felt like I did enough to have a really good round. It was just, man, I felt like I hit a lot of good putts that were really close to going in. Just wasn't able to kind of hole those.
I made one on 10 that I really needed. I had kind of a sloppy -- made a really good putt for bogey there on the 7th hole. I made a nice one on 10. Could feel some momentum building, and then hit a lot of good putts down the stretch that just didn't drop.
But overall I felt like I gave myself a decent amount of looks today. Yeah, just a few shots. That's really all it came down to.
Q. You obviously had the crowd on your side today singing "Happy Birthday" and so forth. What was your perception of the way the crowd was treating Wyndham?
SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: I mean, the crowd was tough today. I mean, New Yorkers, they are tough people. There was a good turnout from the fans. You like seeing the fans cheer for you. I think sometimes it can get a little too much when, you know, balls are kind of going off greens and you start hearing cheers. That felt a bit much to me.
But at the end of the day, I can't control fan behavior. Being in the arena is not for everybody. You know, there's been crowds that have been for me in my career; there's been crowds that have been significantly against me in my career.
I think Portrush was a scenario for me where Rory is in his hometown. Or not his hometown; he's in Ireland, not far from where he grew up. Crowds can be tough.
Being in the arena is not for everybody, and I think it shows a lot about Wyndham, how he handled not only this golf course but I think the crowd today as well and is a well-deserving champion.
Q. Can you recall maybe one that's been that one-sided, not counting like a Presidents Cup, Ryder Cup, something like that?
SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: Guys, I'm not going to sit here and talk about fans the whole time. Sorry.
I'm a big proponent of controlling what I can control on the golf course. Like I said, you know, you like it when fans are cheering for you. I think when fans start to cheer against other players, albeit in a respectful manner, I think when it gets too far is when you have people screaming in guys' swings. That didn't happen today.
But that's as much as I want to elaborate. You can keep asking the questions if you want. I don't think I'm going to have much better for you than that. If you want to talk about golf, I'm happy to talk about golf.
Q. A non-fan question. Obviously some of the equation today needed to be that Wyndham would struggle and then there was also that idea that you were in the same group with him. I was just wondering when you saw him struggling a little bit, I mean, were you -- how did that play with you, or were you trying to ignore it, completely focus on you? It's right there in front of you; I was just wondering how that played with you?
SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: I mean, I've always been a guy that likes to know where I'm at in the tournament. Being in the final group with the guy that you're trying to chase is always a good spot to be. It's better than being a few groups ahead, I think.
It's just part of it. Winning major championships is extremely difficult. Like you saw that today, Wyndham started with a six-shot lead. It's just hard. It's a hard golf course. It's hard to win these golf tournaments.
He had some stones down the stretch. He showed kind of what he's made of there with a great birdie there on 16. He was in some trouble off the tee. Wyndham has a pretty good -- I don't know if "escapability" is the right word, but he's, I would say, a very underrated scrambler. I think you saw a lot of that today in some of the spots where he was and able to make pars from.
At the end of the day, I was trying to move my way up the leaderboard. I have belief that if Wyndham shot even-par today, I believed that I could catch him. It's just a matter of executing the shots.
Like I said, I was close today, but not where it needed to be.
Q. Scottie, we've done enough of these to know what you think of accomplishments and winning golf tournaments, but as the week goes on and you get closer to the top of the leaderboard, closer to Sunday, did you allow yourself to think any more about the Slam than you did at the beginning of the week?
SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: I mean, not while I'm on the course. I think when you're in competition, you're just trying to compete. I felt at peace all day today. I was in a good spot mentally, which was nice.
It was good to be kind of back in the arena. I felt like at times this year I was, you know, on the outside looking in. I felt like I had given up too many shots early in the week. The positions I put myself in the last couple of years I was in the final group, in leads, holding leads after 54 holes, 36 holes.
This year I haven't had many 36-hole leads. I haven't had any 54-hole leads.
This week will be another example where you could chalk it up to the first round. I think maybe I lost by four shots or something like that. Wyndham went out late in the day on Thursday and shot 6-under to my 2-over in the morning. That's eight shots right there.
At the end of the day, I don't know exactly what it is. I've been pretty good in first rounds over the last few years, and for some reason, the sharpness just hasn't been there early in tournaments. I haven't had those leads that I've needed in order to win tournaments. I've been playing catch-up all year.
I guess that's maybe kind of the story, but albeit, this was another week where I feel like I'm continuing to improve.
I feel like I'm in a much better spot on Sunday than I did, you know, on Monday to start the week. So I feel like I'm continuing to improve. I'm starting to get the feels that I like in my swing. It's just a matter of just getting a little bit closer, being a little bit sharper to start tournaments. Yeah, that's as good as I'm going to be able to elaborate.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports