World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler spent the early week in Napa, Calif., at the Procore Championship getting in as much Ryder Cup prep — both on and off the course — as possible before the showdown with Team Europe at Bethpage Black in two weeks.
Then came the tournament, the first of the PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup Fall slate, and Scheffler did what he has done all year, be it at the CJ Cup Byron Nelson or the Open Championship: He slowly rose up the leaderboard and eventually finished as the last man standing with a trophy in hand.
Scheffler’s time at Silverado Resort started out rocky as he worked to get the speed of the greens down. But a Saturday 64 vaulted him to within two shots of Ben Griffin. On Sunday, Scheffler made six birdies during a final-round 67 to finish at 19 under par and top Griffin by one after his Ryder Cup teammate missed a five-foot birdie putt to tie on the last hole.
The win was Scheffler’s sixth of the season, which, according to Justin Ray, makes him the fourth player since 1960 to win six or more times in consecutive seasons on the PGA Tour. The other three? Tiger Woods (three times), Jack Nicklaus (1972-73) and Arnold Palmer (three times).
Scheffler’s win in wine country was a cherry on top of a week that was all about the event that looms on the horizon. After Team USA suffered from competitive rust (among other things) in its 2023 loss in Rome, Scheffler feels the Ryder Cup training camp in Napa did its job.
“I always focus as much as I can on my preparation going into tournaments, that’s what gives me confidence, and I feel like I’m as prepared as possible for the Ryder Cup,” Scheffler said after his win on Sunday. “I think we’re all excited for the tournament to get started. We’ve got three days in New York to compete and have fun. We’re all looking forward to it.”
Team USA’s Ryder Cup training camp appeared to be a success. Scheffler and Griffin duked it out on Sunday, with J.J. Spaun and Cameron Young each carding top-10 finishes. Russell Henley started off strong but slipped over the weekend, while Justin Thomas, Harris English, and Collin Morikawa were not competitive in Napa.
While Scheffler’s win will get the headlines from Team USA’s Ryder Cup prep week, two of his teammates were the shining stars before his weekend run.
The first was Griffin. A Ryder Cup rookie who won the Charles Schwab Challenge and team event Zurich Classic this season, Griffin continued his blistering hot play in Napa, showing no rust from a few weeks off post-FedEx Cup Playoffs. None of this surprises Scheffler, who has known Griffin since their days as junior golfers.
“When you talk to Ben, he’s a guy that has a lot of confidence, he’s got a lot of self-belief,” Scheffler said. “That’s what we love about him being a part of our Ryder Cup team.
“Ben’s a guy that has always put in a ton of work and he’s always looking to improve. He’s never lacked confidence, and he’s going to be a great part of our Ryder Cup team this year, and I’m sure he’ll be a part of many teams going forward as well.”
As Griffin and Scheffler showed they were ready on the course, a member of Team USA who was not allowed to tee it up at Silverado Resort continued to show why he could end up being Bradley’s greatest weapon.
Bryson DeChambeau was present for all of Team USA’s team-building activities in Napa. While he couldn’t play since he is not a member of the PGA Tour, DeChambeau continues to impress his teammates with his buy-in and team-first attitude.
“Not just this week, he’s made efforts to come out to other meetings and other dinners as well,” Collin Morikawa said of DeChambeau on Wednesday. “It shows that he just cares. I think this whole individual aspect, we’ve all thrown that out the window and we will all do what it takes to be with the team.”
Bradley has been effusive in his praise of DeChambeau over the past few months and continued to laud the LIV Golf star for being all about winning the Ryder Cup back at Bethpage Black, regardless of his place in pro golf’s ongoing civil conflict.
“In the golf world right now, we’re in an awkward spot with where we sit in the golf world,” Bradley said on Wednesday. “A lot of that responsibility has fallen on Bryson. He has to make a much bigger effort than a lot of the guys. Bryson was there last night. He’s been incredible. He’s been more than willing to go above and beyond for this team. I think it’s a testament to what a good teammate Bryson is. I think it’s actually really cool to see, for the guys to see — it’s easy for the guys to come play here and come to dinner. Bryson’s got to get on a plane, he’s got to come to these meetings, and I think it’s a great thing, shows the commitment in that Bryson has for the team. He’s going to be a huge asset for us.
“Obviously, from the standpoint of how good a player he is, but also he’s fun to be around, he’s great to the younger guys. It’s fun for us to see Bryson in an atmosphere outside the golf course as well.”
Bradley didn’t stick around to see Sunday’s finale. He didn’t need to. He, like everyone else, has seen Scheffler suffocate golf tournaments for the past few years.
He just hopes World No. 1 can do it again in two weeks at Bethpage Black.
