World No 1 Scottie Scheffler says he’s “rested and ready to play” as he prepares to tee it up at the US PGA Tour’s St Jude Championship, following his fourth Major title at last month’s Open Championship.
“I took a little bit of extra time resting,” said the American, who also triumphed at the PGA Championship earlier this season.
“I think just because playing Major championships takes a lot out of you, so it was nice to get home and get a little bit of extra rest.”
Scheffler cruised to a four-shot victory at Royal Portrush on 20 July to claim The Open title. He celebrated at home, letting friends drink from the Claret Jug, and later brought the trophy to his home course, Royal Oaks.
He also made a red-carpet appearance at the New York premiere of Happy Gilmore 2.
It has been a relaxed lead-up to the St Jude Championship in Memphis, where Scheffler begins his defence of the FedEx Cup playoff crown he won last year.
“At this point in the year, that extra practice is maybe only going to be draining for me a little bit, and that’s something that I’ve learned to manage as my career has gone on.
“My game is in a good spot, and I feel like some extra practice at this point in the year can almost be detrimental in terms of just physical and mental fatigue.”
Scheffler leads the 70-man field at TPC Southwind. The top 50 in the FedEx Cup standings after Sunday’s final round will advance to the BMW Championship in Maryland, with the top 30 thereafter moving on to the season-ending Tour Championship in Atlanta.
Masters champion Rory McIlroy, second behind Scheffler in the points standings, has opted to skip the opening playoff event. The move, while expected, comes with confidence that he will still safely qualify for the BMW Championship.
McIlroy is preparing for a packed end to his season, which includes the Tour Championship, the DP World Tour’s Irish Open and BMW PGA Championship, the Ryder Cup, and events in India and Australia.
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