Nobody knows who Scottie Scheffler is supposed to play with.
It sounds strange for the best player alive, but it is the real puzzle facing U.S. Presidents Cup captain Brandt Snedeker this week at Medinah. Scheffler managed just one point across four sessions at last year’s Ryder Cup, paired with Russell Henley, J.J. Spaun and Bryson DeChambeau in a combined 0-4 run before salvaging a singles win. Snedeker is not hiding from the awkward math.
“There’s an inherent kind of, not fear for the guy they’re playing with, but a feeling of I’m letting him down,” Snedeker said Tuesday. “He’s the best player in the world, so no matter what I do isn’t going to be good enough. Finding someone who can handle that and just be themselves is super important.”
Try it for $0.99.
Burns already knows the answer
Sam Burns did not wait to be asked twice. Opening his own press conference, he confirmed he already knows his partner for the week, and when a reporter guessed Scheffler, Burns just said “his name starts with an S.” The two grew up near each other in Texas, played junior golf together and go back further than most pairings in the field. Their record as partners is rougher than the friendship suggests: a combined 0-3-1 at the 2022 Presidents Cup and 2023 Ryder Cup.
Scheffler has had better luck with other partners. At Royal Montreal in 2024 he took two points from three matches alongside Henley, then teamed with Collin Morikawa to win a four-ball session outright. Henley, unlike some in the locker room, says he does not feel weighed down playing next to the world No. 1. “Scottie just makes me feel really comfortable,” Henley said. “I don’t feel like he has an intimidating way about him around me.”
New faces chasing chemistry of their own
Elsewhere in the U.S. room, rookies Chris Gotterup and Jacob Bridgeman are hoping their own history translates. The pair met on the Korn Ferry Tour, roomed together and have combined for seven PGA Tour wins since 2024, with Bridgeman’s coming this year, including last week at the Biltmore Championship. Snedeker has a full week at Medinah to lock in his pairings before the Americans chase an 11th straight Presidents Cup.
Discover the rest of our golf news on MathODDS!
in your pocket.
Real-time notifications & alerts
Leave a Reply