Scheffler didn’t come to Procore to talk about Ryder Cup—but to play golf

NAPA — Scottie Scheffler not only hits the correct shots, he also almost always offers the proper comments.

When you’re the world’s No. 1-ranked golfer, that’s not only enviable, it’s virtually mandatory. So there’s no question why Scheffler is in Napa, at Silverado Resort for the Procore Championship, which began Thursday.

As a member of the US Ryder Cup Squad, which plays Europe at Bethpage Black in two weeks, Scheffler followed the advice of team captain Keegan Bradley to get ready for the matches by competing in a tournament. To the good fortune of an event sometimes overlooked because it is on the Fall Schedule, Procore is that tournament.

“I’m present, I’m ready to play this week,” said Scheffler on Wednesday. “I didn’t show up to Napa to talk about the Ryder Cup for four days. I’m here to play a golf tournament.”

“So I’ve never been to Napa before,” said Scheffler, although he has not been too far away on the Monterey Peninsula. “It’s very beautiful. I will say that, so it’s been cool to see. California’s a beautiful place. Every part of California I come to is just wonderful. The weather’s amazing.”

“I don’t really drink wine,” Scheffler said, alluding to the product for which the region is most famous. 

Scheffler, 29, a winner of three of golf’s four majors and an Olympic gold medalist, told us earlier in the year that while golf was important, it was not where he found fulfillment. 

He said satisfaction came from his family—he has a son born in May 2024—and his faith.

“I don’t focus much on legacy,” said Scheffler. “I don’t look too far into the future. Ultimately, we’ll be forgotten.”

Not really, what any athlete has accomplished, especially a golfer, is there in the record books. We know Jack Nicklaus won 18 majors and Tiger Woods, 16. What we don’t know is how many Scheffler, with his so-consistent style, will win.

And Scheffler conceded that those tournaments, the ones that separate the great players from the ordinary, are never far from his thoughts. 

“When I prepare and practice at home,” said Scheffler, who lives in the Dallas area, “I’m always focused on the next stop and the next tournament. But in the offseason, the majors are always in the back of your head. I think the majors are always on the back of your mind just because they’re the greatest challenges.” 

They say there is no offseason in golf, but in the yearly schedule that goes from January to January, there are gaps, if not large ones. Since the 2025 Tour Championship, won by Tommy Fleetwood, there’s been no tournament until now, which of course is just a space of a mere 17 days.

“I’m excited to get the tournament started,” said Scheffler about the Procore, which marks the resumption of PGA Tour play. “I’m excited to see how the golf course plays, excited for a few days of competition.”

He’s not the only one.