done with his swing have been what was needed to keep that feeling of clubface awareness in place – not “fix” things that other people think look less than traditional. No way in hell I was going to mould him into a swing I felt looked good. Every- swing he has ever made was one that felt good to him. If you changed him to be by the book, so to speak, it wouldn’t be as exciting for him. It would put a damper on his creativity, the Let me see if I can hit this shot. His creativity is beyond anything I’ve ever witnessed. To this day, he can make “mis- takes” in his swing all day long, but by the time he gets to impact, he has it corrected. When he has to make those corrections more than he likes, he asks questions, and it’s my job to help him navigate what it takes to get his feels back. At the Masters, it was his left hand position – a tiny adjustment that got his left thumb so that it was seated better in his right hand. That hardly sounds revolutionary, but it’s a big deal. It’s having the drive to improve, the courage to demand real critique and real answers and the maturity to commit to the process. When you look at Scottie’s career trajectory – more than a hundred junior trophies, three straight high school individual titles, US Junior Amateur champion, freshman of the year in college, Korn Ferry player of the year and now multiple major winner and World No 1 – it’s tempt- ing to think it has been easy. Every player must fight through adversity, and Scottie is no differ- ent. What is different is his approach to the tough times. He embraces them and treats them in an almost matter-of-fact way – whether they’re physical or off-course.
In high school, the week before the state tourna- ment, Scottie sprained his ankle playing basket- ball and was in a walking boot. Most players would withdraw. Scottie was at the range the day after the boot went on, saying, “OK, how do we hit shots in this thing?” We worked out how to hit a back-foot driver, and he walked and carried his bag to the state title. In college, he swiped a mesquite bush in a temper tantrum and buried a thorn deep in his thumb, to the bone. The doctors said it would require surgery to remove it. He played with it.
THE PATH OF GROWTH Scottie’s first
appearance at the Byron Nelson ( top ), winning the 2013 U.S. Junior
Amateur and quizzing me at this year’s Masters.
78 GOLF DIGEST SOUTH AFRICA
JULY/AUGUST 2024
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