Scottie Scheffler is in the throes of arguably the greatest PGA Tour season since Tiger Woods’ 2000 campaign. He’s won six times (including the Masters and Players), earned a cool $US27,696,858, become a father and even beat a dodgy police rap. He’s rocketed to seventh on the PGA Tour’s all-time earnings list and done it all with some of the most inventive footwork since Kevin Bacon taught Bomont how to dance.
Scheffler’s Thriller-like moves, once considered a bug, have become a feature of his game, with fellow pros (literally) tripping themselves to keep up. Just ask recent Golf Hall of Fame inductee Padraig Harrington, who tried to replicate Scheffler’s happy feet ahead of the US Senior Open this week and nearly tore his hip flexor in the process. Watch it and wince.
“I can’t do that. Not a chance.”@Padraig_H 𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙢𝙥𝙩𝙨 to imitate Scottie Scheffler’s footwork. pic.twitter.com/iKOmNQ6t3I
— PGA TOUR Champions (@ChampionsTour) June 24, 2024
It’s not often you see a former major winner completely miss, but this clip is less a reflection of Paddy’s ability than it is of Scheffler’s mad genius. His footwork would tie most tour pros up in knots and, as Harrington demonstrates, it’s very much a young man’s game. Once Scheffler’s lower body flexibility starts to go, his game could very well go with it.
The only question is how many wins he’ll have by the time that happens. He’s only 28. He should be able to tap-dance his way to the top of leaderboards for another decade or more. As for Harrington, something tells us he’ll stick to slightly more conventional methods from here on.
