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Mark Schlabach
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Mark Schlabach
ESPN Senior Creator
- Senior faculty soccer author
- Creator of 7 books on faculty soccer
- Graduate of the College of Georgia
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Paolo Uggetti
Mar 12, 2025, 07:42 AM ET
The Gamers Championship has arrived, and whilst the PGA Excursion continues to be making an attempt to determine what the way forward for skilled golfing would possibly appear to be, its marquee occasion is chock stuffed with storylines this week.
As global No. 1 Scottie Scheffler makes an attempt to do the unthinkable and three-peat at a route that does not normally lend itself to copy winners (let by myself 3 in a row), TPC Sawgrass is primed to as soon as once more supply an exhilarating event end come Sunday.
Listed below are the 5 issues we are maintaining a tally of this week.
Which avid gamers will you be paying probably the most consideration to this week?
Mark Schlabach: I am curious to look how Collin Morikawa bounces again from any other disappointing Sunday on the Arnold Palmer Invitational. He performed nice in the course of the first two months of the season, completing 2d at each the Sentry and API and tying for seventeenth at each the AT&T Pebble Seashore Professional-Am and Genesis Invitational.
Colin Morikawa completed 2d on the Arnold Palmer Invitational proper ahead of the Gamers. Cliff Hawkins/Getty Photographs
Nonetheless, Morikawa needs to be questioning what he should do to boost a trophy once more. The 2-time main champion’s remaining victory on excursion got here on the Zozo Championship in Japan in October 2023. He has 9 top-five finishes the previous two seasons, together with runner-up finishes to Scheffler on the Memorial Match and Excursion Championship in 2024.
Morikawa did not play badly on Sunday, however he did not make sufficient putts to carry off Russell Henley at Bay Hill.
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“Sunday evening used to be a large number of frustration,” Morikawa mentioned. “Simply taking a look again during the last yr and more or less how I went about my fall used to be to determine play higher in last rounds, and when you do not play smartly and you do not shut it out, you might be like, ‘How will we return to the planning stage?’
“It is not actually [to] rip the whole thing up and get started over, however there may be simply little issues, proper? Clearly, I wasn’t hitting it as smartly. I wasn’t striking as smartly. However I nonetheless had my possibilities to near it out, and Russ clearly performed some nice golfing.”
Morikawa has carried out higher below drive — he ranked 127th on excursion in final-round scoring reasonable (70.5) in 2024 and is seventeenth (68) this season.
Morikawa used to be remarkably constant remaining season, even if his iron play wasn’t as excellent because it has historically been and his striking persevered to lag in the back of different height avid gamers. He ranks tenth in strokes received: way (.908) and twenty seventh in striking (.515) this season.
“There may be simply small issues,” Morikawa mentioned. “I like being in that place. Like, I do not take it as a right since you simply by no means know, nevertheless it used to be irritating Sunday evening. I’ve to recover from it. I imply, I am again on my two ft. I am making an attempt to determine play my best possible golfing right here for this week.”
I will even be curious to look how Daniel Berger and Michael Kim play within the so-called “5th main.” Berger has performed outstanding golfing since coming back from a again damage that sidelined him for greater than 18 months. He has a excellent observe document at TPC Sawgrass, which goes his recreation smartly.
Kim used to be one of the crucial top-ranked juniors on this planet and a celebrity at UC Berkeley. The 31-year-old is taking part in one of the best possible golfing of his profession, just about seven years after he captured his handiest PGA Excursion victory on the 2018 John Deere Vintage. Kim is ranked 52nd within the Professional Global Golfing Rating, seven spots higher than LIV Golfing League captain Jon Rahm, which he discovered to be slightly a laugh.
I am lately a greater golfer than Jon Rahm 🤷️
OFFICIAL global golfing ratings %.twitter.com/qsmplPyPKn
— Michael S. Kim (@Mike_kim714) March 10, 2025
Paolo Uggetti: If it wasn’t for Scheffler’s ridiculous 2024, remaining season would were the Yr of Xander Schauffele, who, let me remind you, received two majors. Schauffele’s encore marketing campaign started with an damage — an acute intercostal pressure in his rib — that sidelined him after the Sentry in Hawaii. Schauffele made his go back remaining week at Bay Hill and shook some rust off, carding a 77 in his first around ahead of fighting again to make the lower and taking pictures a 3-under 69 within the last around Sunday.
Possibly extra importantly, Schauffele mentioned his rib felt tremendous within the aftermath of 4 rounds in Orlando.
“Now not with the ability to play sufficient golfing coming in right here, used to be rolling the cube a bit of bit,” Schauffele mentioned. “All scans had been blank, however tremendous proud of how I think. Without a doubt, with the added golfing did not really feel any pressure or any worse, in order that’s a large bonus.”
There’ll most certainly nonetheless be some rust to shake off this week at TPC Sawgrass for Schauffele, however I am fascinated to look how he performs within this newfound truth. He is now not a participant who has but to get the large win; he’s now located a number of the game’s best possible and anticipated to accomplish smartly at those huge occasions.
“I think love it’s excellent to have top expectancies. I believe for me, no less than individually, when I am — once I actually need one thing, I generally paintings and am motivated extraordinarily exhausting to get to that time,” Schauffele mentioned Tuesday. “Identical to a canine chasing its tail, I think like I will simply stay going till I am getting it, and I am cussed that approach.”
Talking of big-time avid gamers, I will additionally have an interest to look how Henley follows up his win on the API remaining week. Henley’s recreation have been trending in the precise course already, and it suits this route smartly. Accuracy, now not distance, is king at Pete Dye’s masterpiece, and Henley is the eighth-most correct motive force of the golfing ball on excursion, in step with Information Golfing.
Henley’s highlight may not develop exponentially in a single day, however at a large level like this one, any other robust week would move far towards securing what many are seeing as a formality at this level: a place at the U.S. Ryder Cup group.
Is Scottie Scheffler nonetheless the transparent favourite, or produce other avid gamers closed the space heading into the Gamers?
Scottie Scheffler does not have a win but in 2025 in 4 tournaments. Jared C. Tilton/Getty Photographs
Schlabach: Scheffer continues to be the most productive golfer on this planet — even supposing he says he does not really feel love it — however his freak hand damage within the Christmas cooking twist of fate put him in the back of the 8 ball this season. I believe Scheffler’s and Schauffele’s setbacks allowed a couple of different golfers to near the space, which gave the impression as vast because the Grand Canyon on the finish of 2024.
Scheffler did not make his first get started till he tied for 9th at Pebble Seashore. He hasn’t completed outdoor the highest 25 in 4 begins. He tied for eleventh on the API and would were upper if he’d made a couple of extra putts. He misplaced 5.328 strokes to the sector at the vegetables remaining week, which ranked forty ninth a number of the 51 golfers who made the lower.
Scheffler gave the impression keen to simply shrug it off as a nasty week with the putter. Essentially the most encouraging signal for Scheffler, after he’d struggled along with his motive force in his first couple of begins, used to be that he led the API box in strokes received: off the tee (6.516) and hit 39 of 56 fairways.
“Final week used to be every week wherein I struggled at the vegetables,” Scheffler mentioned. “I drove it actually smartly. I hit some excellent iron photographs; some iron photographs I wasn’t as proud of. However I felt like if the ball would have long gone within the gap a bit of bit extra, I might have had a possibility to win, which is all the time a pleasing factor.”
Uggetti: Sure, however with an excessively huge, putter-shaped caveat. Scheffler’s ballstriking is slowly however definitely rounding again into his elite shape following his hiatus within the early a part of the season, however the striking has now not, particularly remaining week. The most efficient participant on this planet beat handiest two different avid gamers within the box in strokes received: striking on the API. In vintage Scheffler style, he nonetheless completed tied for eleventh position.
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And that is the reason precisely why he is nonetheless and will have to be the favourite at each and every event he performs. It is absurd to assume he’s going to win each and every time, however Scheffler’s ballstriking has created one of these top flooring for his recreation that it is virtually a ensure he’s going to be in relative rivalry, without reference to his striking. Coming off extraordinarily rapid vegetables at Bay Hill, TPC Sawgrass’ surfaces will likely be wetter and theoretically slower, which generally is a great trade of tempo for Scheffler and his mallet putter.
Simply do not ask Scheffler to extrapolate what he has completed right here the previous two seasons to this yr.
“Final yr is remaining yr. I am not seeking to mirror it. I am not seeking to glance again on it. On the finish of the day, it is up to now,” Scheffler mentioned. “It used to be an excellent yr … however relating to this yr I have by no means been a man that units long-term objectives. My purpose is to be as ready as conceivable once I step up at the first tee after which I need to have a excellent perspective once I move out and play over every shot. And that is the reason how I view luck.”
It is telling too that, for a way a lot Scheffler downplays his recreation or harps on the truth that effects do not decide his price, different avid gamers haven’t any problems raving about his recreation and psychological make-up.
“I believe it is exhausting to play with him and be like, oh, I need to play extra like Scottie,” Justin Thomas mentioned. “It is like, no duh, who would not need to hit a large number of the fairways and a large number of the vegetables and be the most productive ball striker statistically on planet Earth for the remaining couple years?”
“I believe there is a lot going down within with Scottie that is exhausting to look, however now he is been on this place and taking part in this smartly for a very long time, it should be going down,” Adam Scott mentioned. “There is something actually riding him within, as a result of he does not give a lot away at the outdoor.”
In different phrases, do not be expecting Scheffler to do anything else other however attempt to play his best possible. Excellent good fortune to everybody else.
Did we be informed anything else new in regards to the PGA Excursion-LIV answer?
Schlabach: Now not actually, rather then the PGA Excursion is dedicated to having conversations with Saudi Arabia’s Public Funding Fund about reuniting males’s skilled golfing. PGA Excursion commissioner Jay Monahan did not disclose a lot all through a information convention on Tuesday.
Coverage board participant director Adam Scott said that the “largest hang-up is in how we see the absolute best stage of aggressive golfing going ahead. The fabricated from LIV and the fabricated from the PGA Excursion paintings in very other ways.”
Here is what appears to be the base line: If the PIF goes to speculate $1 billion or extra into PGA Excursion Enterprises, the Saudis need some assurance that the LIV Golfing League will survive someway. Whilst Monahan mentioned his excursion believes “there may be room to combine essential sides of LIV Golfing into the PGA Excursion platform,” it does not appear in a position to have two separate circuits competing in complete schedules on the identical time of the yr.
Possibly there may be room for group golfing within the time table if the 2 circuits merge, nevertheless it most certainly would not be a 14-event time table like LIV Golfing has now. Possibly a couple of group occasions could be sprinkled in the course of the FedEx Cup season after which a couple of extra within the fall.
Alternatively, that is probably not sufficient to meet PIF governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan.
“We are ranging from two other aspects of this, so I believe it is exhausting to search out the stability that is appropriate for everyone,” Scott mentioned. “And it additionally will not be in the end conceivable.”
Uggetti: Studying between the strains of the feedback made by means of Monahan, Scott and others, it is beautiful transparent that the most important hang-up between the 2 events is the competing codecs. Whether or not it is the 72-hole stroke play vs. the 54-hole occasions or the group side of LIV and the way that may be integrated, it feels like neither celebration is keen to budge at the core identification of the respective excursions. That does not bode smartly for this idea of reunification the excursion is espousing, particularly now not anytime quickly.
“That is who we’re as a company, and that’s the reason who we’re going to all the time be as a company,” Monahan mentioned in regards to the 72-hole layout. “In order that’s on the middle of the best way that we take into consideration what our enthusiasts need and what our avid gamers need, and that’s the reason clearly an important attention in our discussions.”
One thing’s gotta give!
Select a sleeper or two for this week?
Schlabach: Talking of LIV Golfing, certainly one of its former regulars, Laurie Canter, is the primary golfer from the breakaway circuit to qualify for the Gamers. He did it by means of mountaineering into the highest 50 of the Professional Global Golfing Rating, the place he is lately No. 43.
Canter has been red-hot in recent times, completing 3rd within the Hero Dubai Wilderness Vintage, profitable a playoff on the Bahrain Championship and dropping a playoff to complete 2d on the South African Open at the DP Global Excursion.
South African golfer Christiaan Bezuidenhout is likely one of the best possible putters on excursion, and he likes TPC Sawgrass. He tied for thirteenth in every of his previous two begins on the Gamers. In 2024, he ranked fourth within the box in strokes received: way (1.744) and twenty ninth in striking (.464). Bezuidenhout tied for fourth on the WM Phoenix Open and for nineteenth on the API at Bay Hill, any other tricky route.
Uggetti: Has Michael Kim’s luck in fresh weeks disqualified him from with the ability to be a sleeper? I do know Mark mentioned him previous, however I think like he isn’t widely known by means of the common golfing fan, and but, his efficiency for the reason that get started of the season signifies that he has made a jump to be one of the crucial height 50-60 avid gamers on this planet. He used to be ranked one hundred and fifty fifth firstly of the yr!
Extra importantly, Kim is a great route have compatibility this week. He does not power the ball very a ways, however he is correct along with his ballstriking (height 30 in strokes received: way this season).
Talking of ball strikers, regulate Will Zalatoris, who’s slowly however definitely rounding again into shape. He completed tied for twenty second remaining week, and if there is a route that can spotlight his elite iron play, it may well be this one.
Prediction time: Who lifts the trophy on Sunday?
Schlabach: Give me Scottie. It is March and the arena No.1 golfer hasn’t received a PGA Excursion occasion but. To win the Gamers, you must be correct off the tee and on way. Few avid gamers hit it as immediately as Scheffler, and I believe he’s going to paintings some magic across the vegetables and make sufficient putts to finish the three-peat.
Uggetti: Perhaps I am a sucker for the storyline this may create, however in need of Scheffler three-peating, I believe I am going with the Morikawa quick redemption arc. He has been taking part in such excellent golfing in recent times that it seems like he’s due. Alternatively, it felt like he used to be due remaining week, and we noticed what took place.
Alternatively, although he mentioned he by no means wishes some more or less exterior confirmation for bobbing up quick, the whole thing he mentioned Tuesday struck me as his personal model of a self-prescribed pump-up speech fueled by means of some mixture of anger, frustration and motivation.
“If you happen to get beat, you get beat, like I will be able to’t do anything else about that. However I knew I had extra within me to regulate for that day to the place I am like, ‘Guy, if I shoot, if I’ve two extra birdies, I win the event,'” Morikawa mentioned. “So I have a look at it each tactics. And that is the reason why it sucked. That is why you simply, you might be pissed. However you were given to transport on.”
At a route that matches him like a glove, I believe Morikawa will be capable of just do that and in spite of everything get his first win since 2023.
