Altitude issues or not, Scottie Scheffler aims for 8th win of 2024 — and first ever in FedExCup Playoffs; BMW Championship pro-am a hit for fans, participants — and the Evans Scholarship for caddies
By Gary Baines – 8/21/2024
CASTLE ROCK — As much as Scottie Scheffler has accomplished in recent years, there are a few things he hasn’t yet ticked off on his to-do list.
One is winning a FedExCup Playoff event. That’s something the 28-year-old Texan can rectify in short order — with a victory this week at the BMW Championship at Castle Pines Golf Club or next week at the Tour Championship in Atlanta.
But if Scheffler is to break through this week, he may have to overcome some issues regarding altitude.
In a peripheral matter, Drew Blass, the tournament director for The Ascendant Korn Ferry Tour event at TPC Colorado, noted earlier this summer that Scheffler is afraid of heights. That’s why he initially was reluctant to hit golf balls off the rooftop at the Anheuser-Busch Brewery in Fort Collins in 2019 — part of a sponsorship event — but went through with it anyway.
Then on Wednesday, the day before the start of the BMW Championship, Scheffler noted he sometimes has problems with being at high altitude.
In July, “the vacation we went on to Telluride, which is a little bit higher than here, the elevation got to me a little bit. So I’m kind of glad I got it out of the way then because I have struggled with it from time to time.
“I played a tournament on the Korn Ferry Tour here in Colorado and then we also played in Bogota, which is some pretty extreme elevation there in Colombia, and I remember sleeping really bad the first few nights. You have really weird dreams and you wake up in the middle of the night feeling like you can’t breathe and just weird stuff. I felt like that experience playing at a little bit higher altitude has kind of helped me adjust to this week. I was working out in the gym yesterday and I was definitely getting out of breath a lot faster than I would at home, but I feel like I’m doing a good job of getting adjusted.”
The way things have gone for Scheffler this year, there aren’t many things that throw him off his game — not even an over-zealous policeman directing traffic at the PGA Championship. Not only is he ranked No. 1 in the world — and in the FedExCup standings — but he’s racked up seven victories this year: six on the PGA Tour and one in the men’s Olympic golf tournament earlier this month. Among the wins: the Masters and the Players Championship.
But perhaps just as telling is the number of times he’s failed to post a top-10 finish in a tournament in which he’s been entered. Scheffler has played in 18 events in 2024 — including the Olympics — and has finished outside the top 10 just twice.
“Scottie is just an unbelievable iron player,” said Billy Horschel, an eight-time winner on the PGA Tour. “His consistency ball-striking day-in and day-out is unreal. I’ve never seen anything like that. Listen, I was around Tiger Woods around that 2010 to ’14 (time period), when he was still playing some pretty high-level golf but I was never around that in the early 2000s (when Woods was dominant). Obviously I watched it on TV. But his ball-striking, we all just marveled at it, consistency day-in and day-out.”
Just like with Scheffler now.
“Sometimes the breaks fall your way, and sometimes they don’t,” Scheffler said, noting examples such as the Players Championship and the Olympics. “This year I feel like at times the breaks have definitely fallen my way. Don’t get me wrong: I played great golf on Sunday and put a lot of pressure on those guys, but sometimes players will rise to the occasion and sometimes they’ll struggle a little bit, and that’s just part of the game. I think a lot of it is just putting yourself in position as much as I can.
“I love competing on Sundays with the tournament on the line. It’s so much fun. I have so many great memories from this year, being able to finish off tournaments and being able to celebrate and enjoy those wins, and I’ve been in a great place mentally.”
So could victory No. 8 this year be in the cards this week for Scheffler?
“At the end of the day, I talk about not one trophy being much more important than another,” he said. “Yeah, I would love to win the FedExCup but I would also love to win this tournament. I’ve never won a playoff event before, so that would be something that would be really cool to do. I’ve had good chances to win them and haven’t been able to do it. Also I should have a good chance to win next week, starting with the lead.
“Overall I love competing. … It’s one of the great joys of my life, and it’s something that is a lot of fun for me. … Going into this week I’m excited to play. We’ve got the guys that have played the best golf on the PGA Tour this year here this week, and it should be some good competition.”
Scheffler shares a laugh as CU Evans Scholar alums Keith Lenz (right) and Zach McCain take in the moment.
Pro-Am a Highlight — in Several Ways: Wednesday marked pro-am day at the BMW Championship — where the event is specifically named the Gardner Heidrick Pro-Am. It’s a day when memories are made, in several regards.
Although … former Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning no doubt would like to forget his first tee shot on Wednesday as part of a pairing with Denver native Wyndham Clark. Manning, who’s certainly a decent golfer by most accounts (5.6 USGA Handicap Index), cold topped his tee shot on the par-5 first hole. Manning, not missing a beat, mockingly turned around and asked if anyone saw where the ball went. The response from the fans? “One of us, one of us,” they chanted.
Peyton Manning jokingly gives a high-five after topping his first tee shot in Wednesday’s pro-am.
But for most amateurs, Manning no doubt included, hobnobbing with the world’s top golfers while playing in the pro-am is special.
However, the most long-lasting effect of the BMW pro-am is its part in the fundraising effort for the Evans Scholarship for caddies, the beneficiary of all the net proceeds from the BMW Championship. Last year, the tournament raised $5.5 million for the Scholarship, which is worth an estimated average of $125,000 to each caddie recipient as it fully pays for tuition and housing at numerous major colleges and universities. One of the Evans Scholarship houses is located at the University of Colorado.
The Western Golf Association’s Bill Moses instructs the caddies prior to Wednesday’s pro-am at Castle Pines.
On Wednesday, 55 current Evans Scholars and 85 E.S. alums caddied in the pro-am. For instance, Colorado Open Golf Foundation CEO Kevin Laura, a CU Evans Scholar alum, looped for former Broncos QB John Elway.
Some of the caddies didn’t know beforehand for whom they would be carrying and were pleasantly surprised to find out there was a big name or two in their group. Among them was CU E.S. alum Keith Lenz and Zach McCain, who caddied in the same group as world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler for nine holes, then Corey Connors for the other nine.
“Caddying in Scottie’s group was surreal,” Lenz noted. “I’ve never been that deeply involved in a professional event before. The course and the day couldn’t have been better. It was such an amazing experience that the (Western Golf Association) offers for Evans Scholars and alumni.”
Among the big names on the amateur side who participated in Wednesday’s pro-am — in addition to Castle Pines members and Pro Football Hall of Famers Manning and Elway — were Colorado Avalanche captain Gabe Landeskog, country singer Luke Bryan (for nine holes) and Josh Kroenke, vice president of Kroenke Sports & Entertainment.
John Elway (left) and caddie Kevin Laura celebrate a long birdie putt sunk by playing partner and Denver-area media personality Vic Lombardi.
Power at Altitude: Don’t be surprised, starting with Thursday’s opening round, to hear about some 400-yard-plus drives at Castle Pines, given the thin air at over 6,000 feet — and how far many PGA Tour players already hit the ball. Even back during The International, John Daly was known to uncork shots 400-plus on occasion.
And we may have gotten a little preview of what’s to come with what Korn Ferry Tour player Aldrich Potgieter did on the par-5 first hole at TPC Colorado during last month’s Ascendant presented by Blue. On a slightly downhill hole, the South African hit his tee shot 480 yards — and that’s no typo.
Win at Cherry Hills Was Part of a Life-Changing 3 Weeks for Horschel: It’s been 10 years since Billy Horschel won the BMW Championship at Cherry Hills Country Club, which was part of the most impressive stretch of golf in his PGA Tour career.
He had won once before on the PGA Tour — in 2013 — but the late summer of 2014 was a life-changer. After missing the cut in the first FedExCup Playoff event that year, he finished runner-up at the Deutsche Bank Championship, won the BMW Championship, then won the Tour Championship — all in September of 2014. He earned $1.44 million for his victory at Cherry Hills and a $10 million annuity for being the FedExCup champion.
“I was a blue collar kid, truly blue collar,” Horschel noted on Wednesday. “I had a dad who worked construction for 50 years. Neither of my parents had a college degree. There was times that one of my parents was out of a job for months at a time, so I don’t come from money. I’d never had money in my life. So to win the FedExCup in 2014 was life-changing and the fact that it financially set me and my family up for the rest of our lives pretty much, that was a big moment in that aspect, knowing that as long as I continue to play well and I’m smart with my money, I’m pretty much financially secure for the rest of my life.”
Horschel come to Castle Pines after three consecutive top-10 finishes, including a runner-up at the British Open.
The rough at Castle Pines is thick heading into the BMW Championship.
Pick a Score: When Castle Pines Golf Club hosted the PGA Tour’s International from 1986 through 2006, the event always featured a Modified Stableford scoring system and was never a stroke-play event. Most of the years, an albatross was worth 8 points, an eagle 5, birdie 2, par 0, bogey minus-1 and a double bogey or worse minus-3. It encouraged aggressive play as a birdie and a bogey were worth more than two pars.
This week, a few players were asked what the winning score might be this week at Castle Pines — now in a 72-hole stroke-play event. For what it’s worth, the highest cumulative winning Stableford total at The International was 48 points — by Phil Mickelson in 1997 and Ernie Els in 2000. But since then, there have been substantial changes to the course, including lengthening it to 8,130 yards.
Said Justin Thomas: “I’m absolutely terrible at (predicting winning scores). If I had to guess, I would guess, like most events, it would be 15- to 20-under. The fairways are pretty receptive. They’re generous. A lot of less-than-drivers. But I also thought 6-under was going to win Medinah (in the 2019 BMW Championship), and I think I shot 25. As I said, I’m pretty terrible at guessing. All I know is I hope whatever I shoot is the winning score.”
Said Billy Horschel: “If the wind doesn’t blow, I do believe there’s the potential for some low scores. Most of the par-5s are reachable, all the par-4s I don’t think you have more than 7- or 8-iron in. So I think there’s the potential that you could see some really good scoring conditions. But I think the challenge is going to be controlling your ball. But then I think on the putting greens, I don’t think there’s a pull necessarily that you see sometimes in mountains, but I do think the greens can be a little bit deceptive in reading them in terms of speed and break. … I think we’re going to see a very exciting championship, though, and that’s all that matters.”
Denver native Wyndham Clark, who has played Castle Pines GC more than anyone else in the BMW field said on Tuesday, “The course is very healthy. It’s very green and lush. It’s pretty soft, so it’s playing all of that 8,100. Obviously with the altitude it’s shorter than 8,100, but it’s playing about as long as it could right now because the ball is not rolling maybe as much as it normally does, and then the greens aren’t firm, either.
“Depending on the weather, and people that know here know that the thunderstorms come up in the afternoon. If they don’t come up and it’s dry, this course is going to play really firm and fast, which makes it pretty tough, which is how it normally plays.
“But with how it is right now, the rough is more challenging than maybe it would normally be. But after seeing it, I think scores might be a little lower than maybe people wanted, some of the members here, just because it’s so soft. But you can’t control Mother Nature. … If it doesn’t change much, guys are going to be throwing darts at the flags. I expect some lower scores.”
Showing Colorado Some Love: Colorado is hosting just its second PGA Tour event since 2006. And many of the competitors think this one is shaping up nicely in several respects.
“I feel like this is a great market to be in,” Jason Day said. “Obviously Castle Pines is setting up nicely for a good championship. I love what they have done to the golf course and also the clubhouse. I think the membership should be happy about that, be proud of that. I think we’ve got obviously a great field here this week with the top 50, so I’m looking forward to a good championship. And BMW does an amazing job. Every single year we come and play, you can feel it’s definitely different to most tournaments.”
Added Billy Horschel: “It’s nice to be back in Denver. This is a great town. This is a big sports town. They love sports. They love to be outdoors, being the great weather that they have, especially this time of year. In 2014 I was amazed that, I swear I think we had 10, 15,000 fans out there during a pro-am, which I had never seen before anywhere on the PGA Tour. This city really does support sporting events around here.
“I’m excited to be back (in Colorado). This is a beautiful golf course. It’s going to be a great test. I think you’re going to see some unbelievable golf shots. I think it’s set up for some risk-reward and you’re going to see some shots fly a long ways and you’re going to see some shots come up way short. It’s one of those great tests.”
High Praise: Defending BMW Championship Viktor Hovland had only seen the Castle Pines Golf Club golf course once — 9 holes each on Tuesday and Wednesday — but already was taking a big shine to it: “It’s a really good golf course. I think it’s really fun; especially the back nine I really liked. I always think it’s difficult to design a championship golf course when you’re playing in this kind of altitude. But I think they’ve certainly done a great job here. I think it’s a perfect mix of some birdie holes, decent amount of water out there, and some of the par-5s are pretty cool. Yeah, I love the golf course.”
Quotable: Ludvig Aberg on Castle Pines Golf Club: “Visually it’s very nice. It’s quite the walk. I was telling Joe, my caddie, I don’t think we’re going to have a lot of conversations uphill this week. It’s just going to be focusing on breathing. But it’s very nice. It’s quite challenging. But you can definitely see some similarities between Memorial and some of the Valhalla, as well, kind of a mix of that. But it’ll be a good challenge to play.”
Quotable II: Jason Day, who played in the 2006 International at Castle Pines Golf Club as a 19-year-old rookie pro, finishing 63rd, noted that he remembers a few holes “but some of the other holes are all fuzzy. Eighteen years is a long time. I do remember walking up these steps thinking David Toms has an amazing haircut. He had a visor on one time and there was not one bit of hair out of place. I was walking right behind him.”
The Nuggets’ 2023 NBA championship trophy on the range at Castle Pines on Wednesday.
Notable: As the players practiced on the range on Wednesday, behind them on a pedestal sat the 2022-23 NBA championship trophy won by the Denver Nuggets, marking the first league title in franchise history. … Scottie Scheffler, the leading candidate for PGA Tour Player of the Year honors, said he may refrain from voting for the POY this year. “I think it would be a bit weird to vote for myself,” he said.
About the Writer: Gary Baines has covered golf in Colorado continuously since 1983. He was a sports writer at the Daily Camera newspaper in Boulder, then the sports editor there, and has written regularly for ColoradoGolf.org since 2009. The University of Colorado Evans Scholar alum was inducted into the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame in 2022. He owns and operates ColoradoGolfJournal.com
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BMW CHAMPIONSHIP: THE ESSENTIALS
What: The BMW Championship, the second of three PGA Tour FedExCup Playoff events in 2024.
When: Thursday-Sunday championship rounds. Note: Gates open at 7 a.m. Thursday and Friday and 6:30 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday. For Thursday and Friday tee times, CLICK HERE.
Where: Castle Pines Golf Club in Castle Rock, opened in 1981 and designed by Jack Nicklaus. Castle Pines GC hosted the PGA Tour’s International from 1986 through 2006. Colorado Sports Hall of Famer Jack Vickers founded Castle Pines GC and The International.
Purse: $20 million, with the winner receiving $4 million.
Beneficiary: All the net proceeds from the BMW Championship benefit the Evans Scholars Foundation for caddies. Evans Scholarships, worth an estimated average of $125,000, are awarded by high-achieving teenage caddies with significant financial need.
Defending Champion: Viktor Hovland.
Course Setup: A PGA Tour-record length (since at least 1983) of 8,130 yards (Par-72). Green speed on Stimpmeter: 13. 77 bunkers and 10 water hazards.
History of Event in Colorado: The BMW Championship has been held once before in the Centennial State, in 2014 at Cherry Hills Country Club.
Tickets/Military Honors: For information, CLICK HERE. Note: Kids 15 and under receive complimentary grounds admission when accompanied by a ticketed adult (2 juniors per adult). Also, active-duty military, along with military retirees, active reserves and veterans can also be admitted free to the tournament after obtaining passes at bmwchampionship.com .
Format: 50-player field. No cut. The top 30 in the season-long point standings after the BMW Championship will advance to the Tour Championship.
TV Schedule: Thursday and Friday: noon-5 p.m., Golf Channel; Saturday and Sunday: 11 a.m.-1 p.m., Golf Channel; 1-4 p.m., NBC. Dan Hicks, Kevin Kisner, Terry Gannon and Brad Faxon will call the action at different times from Castle Pines.
General Information about BMW Championship: CLICK HERE.