Scottie Scheffler explains why the Hero World Challenge feels different to other PGA Tour events

Scottie Scheffler gives his thoughts on how the Hero World Challenge feels

Scheffler’s sitting just one stroke off the lead, and there’s a feeling that he might step things up as the weekend goes on.

While lifting the trophy isn’t everything for him, adding another win to his name – even if it doesn’t count towards official records – would bring his total to 20 PGA Tour victories.

And while he recognises the relaxed atmosphere in Albany, Scheffler made it clear he’s still focused on putting together a strong performance.

“I did some good things out there. You know, a few too many mistakes out there really but overall, another solid day on the course,” Scheffler said.

“It’s definitely a different feeling. We’ve had kind of a long break leading into it and we bring some friends to this tournament as well and have a lot of fun. It’s a good kind of relaxing – it feels like the start to the year – even though the break to our next event is a bit longer than it normally would be. But overall, it’s a fun way to start the year.”

When asked if positive play here can carry over into more meaningful tournaments down the line, Scheffler didn’t hesitate.

“No, I think you can always take good momentum from playing well,” he said. “I wouldn’t look too far into it if I didn’t have a good week this week, I wouldn’t really try to carry that momentum even further.”

“But overall I feel like it’s a good place to kind of see where my game’s at and then kind of get ready for the season. It feels like a good warmup event.”

Scottie Scheffler already looks hard to ignore

It’s becoming a familiar story with the world number one. Even when he’s not firing on all cylinders, Scottie Scheffler still manages to put himself in the mix.

Over the past couple of years, that’s been his calling card. Even on off days, he rarely falls out of contention.

The rest of the field will have noticed, and it sends a clear message: unless Scheffler hits a rough patch and someone else puts together something special, stopping him will be tough.

If he plays well, more often than not, he comes out on top. And right now, that’s what everyone else in the field is up against.