Scheffler Feels at Home at Byron Nelson
McKINNEY — For many professional golfers, this week’s AT&T Byron Nelson will provide a useful tuneup to prepare for next week’s PGA Championship in Rochester, New York.
For others, it will be an opportunity to pick up some prize money or rankings points during a week when many of the top players are resting.
But for Scottie Scheffler, the Nelson takes on special significance. He first played the event as an amateur in 2014, when he was a junior at Highland Park High School.
Almost a decade later, Scheffler is a Masters champion and among the top players in the world. So he will be among the favorites when play begins Thursday at TPC Craig Ranch in McKinney.
“It’s nice to be at home and get to play some tournament golf. It’s a tournament that I always play in and it’s a lot of fun playing in front of the home crowd,” Scheffler said after his pro-am round on Wednesday. “Obviously a different golf course now, but still a good test, and just looking forward to getting out there and competing this week.”
With Preston Hollow resident and fellow major champion Jordan Spieth withdrawing due to a wrist injury, that leaves Scheffler as the primary rooting interest for local fans.
“Home weeks are always nice. We’ve got a couple friends coming in this weekend, so get to hang out with everybody,” Scheffler said. “I’ve got special memories playing this tournament. I’m definitely excited to be back.”
Scheffler has two wins in 12 starts this season — at the Phoenix Open in February and The Players Championship in March — and has been a consistent top 10 finisher.
However, the second-ranked player in the world has not competed in almost a month, since back-to-back strong finishes at the Masters and the Heritage in South Carolina in mid-April.
“This week is a good prep week for me,” he said. “I was just trying to relax and get a little practice in and pretty much just rest. I got pretty tired after the Masters, and that’s pretty typical of a major. They kind of wear you down. It was good just to get a little mental rest.”
This week’s field also includes former HP standouts Cody Gribble and Paul Haley, as well as former SMU players Austin Smotherman, Harry Higgs, Kelly Kraft, and Mac Meissner.
Scheffler will be paired in the first two rounds with two-time defending champion K.H. Lee and Australia’s Jason Day. They will tee off at 12:44 p.m. in Thursday’s first round.
“It’s definitely a bit different than when I came here in high school. I feel like I’m a little bit more a part of this things than I was then, but I was just fortunate to get a spot and come out and play. Now I guess coming full circle out here is a little different scenario,” Scheffler said.
“Now that I’ve had some success out here on Tour, there’s a lot more people that will show up to watch me, which is great,” he said. “I’m fortunate to be able to come out here and support an event that supported me from a young age, and I’m looking forward to going out there and playing in front of the home crowd and hopefully making some birdies.”
