“Conversations with Champions, presented by Sentry” is a new weekly series from Golfweek that is a collaboration with the Caddie Network. Each week, we’ll take you behind the scenes in a chat with the winning caddie from the most recent PGA Tour event. This week: Scottie Scheffler and Ted Scott from the 86th Masters.
AUGUSTA, Ga. – Ted Scott walked off the 18th green at Augusta National well ahead of his boss, Scottie Scheffler. With his hat pushed up off his forehead and the staff bag slung over his right shoulder, Scott carried the flagstick – his trophy – down toward scoring.
Six months ago, Scott thought he was done caddying after a 15-year stint with Bubba Watson that included two Masters victories, came to an end. Now he’s working for Scheffler, the No. 1 player in the world, and, as a team, they’ve won four of nine starts together. His Masters flag collection has now swelled to three.
“It’s very surreal,” said Scott. “It’s pretty crazy, actually.”
The humble Scott won’t take any credit for Scheffler’s three-shot victory over Rory McIlroy. He teared up when talking about Steve Kling, the local caddie he stayed with during Masters week who answered question after question. Scott is quick to point out that he has yet to hit a shot here.
Last fall, Scott planned to retire from caddying and teach golf, something he’s been doing for years anyway. But when Scheffler called, Scott decided to put what happens next in the hands of his family.
“I had my kids and my wife pray about it,” said Scott. “They took a week and came back and said ‘Dad, we think you ought to do it.’ ”
Scott told them to pray about it another week. The answer came back the same.
Watson, Scott and Scheffler are tied together by their Christian faith. All three men are active in the PGA Tour’s Bible study group. After his round on Sunday, Watson was asked if he had any regrets about not having Scott on the bag. Watson said no, calling it a mutual split. In fact, he’s happy that another young player will benefit from Scott’s leadership.
“That’s why I hired Teddy years ago in ’06, and now Teddy being on the bag with Scottie,” said Watson. “All three of us are trying to do the same things. We’re trying to be the best husband we can be, trying to be the best parent we can be. Scottie is not a parent yet, but he will be at some point. We’re trying to do the same goals in life, and then golf just gets in the way. If you get your life somewhat in order, maybe a few more putts will go in.”
Scott wiped away tears as he videoed Scheffler’s green jacket ceremony on the practice green. Scheffler told the crowd there were times on Sunday that he felt like he should’ve been carrying the bag because he was blindly following Scott’s lead.
Phillip Allen of the Twenty First Group did the math on the difference in Scheffler’s bottom line since having Scott on the bag and the numbers are striking. In 62 starts on the PGA Tour pre-Scott, Scheffler had zero wins and made $8.56 million. With Scott, he has four victories in nine starts, for $9.04 million ($1 million per start).
Scheffler’s admiration for Scott, however, extends well beyond his ability to caddie.
“I can’t say enough about him,” said Scheffler. “You know, the qualities you look for in a person, Ted embodies pretty much all of them. He’s humble. He’s hard-working. He’s honest. He’s a good time to be around. I even, he’s just — he’s an amazing guy. To be able to have him on the bag is so special.”
Winning caddies at the Masters can write a letter to request their iconic white jumpsuits. Like many, Scott has grand plans for his memorabilia. He plans to eventually display everything in the building where he instructs.
But like everything with these two, it’s what’s inside that matters most. Before the round began on Sunday, Scott unzipped his jumpsuit to show Scheffler what was written on his green T-shirt: “God is in control.”
He might want to save that one for the display wall, too.
Golfweek’s Adam Schupak contributed to this article.
The equipment
A complete list of the golf equipment Scottie Scheffler used to win the 2022 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club:
DRIVER: TaylorMade Stealth Plus+ (8 degrees), with Fujikura Ventus Black 7X shaft.
FAIRWAY WOOD: TaylorMade Stealth 3HL (16.5 degrees), with Fujikura Ventus Black 8X shaft
IRONS: Srixon ZU85 (3), with Nippon Pro Modus3 Hybrid Tour X, Srixon ZX7 (4), TaylorMade P-7TW (5-PW), with True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 shafts.
WEDGES: Titleist Vokey Design SM8 (50, 56, 60 degrees), with True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400 shafts.
PUTTER: Scotty Cameron Special Select Timeless Tour prototype
BALL: Titleist Pro V1
GRIPS: Golf Pride Tour Velvet
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