FILE PHOTO: Golf - The 150th Open Championship - Old Course, St Andrews, Scotland, Britain - July 17, 2022 Scottie Scheffler of the U.S. in action during the final round REUTERS/Phil Noble
(Reuters) - Scottie Scheffler said he has become more comfortable with his game over the past year and is not overthinking things or striving for perfection after the American delivered a dominant victory at the Players Championship on Sunday.
Masters champion Scheffler, who said last year he "cried like a baby" before the final round at Augusta National, was a picture of calm at TPC Sawgrass as he collected the PGA Tour's biggest winner's cheque of $4.5 million and regained the world number one ranking with his five-shot victory.
"I'm trying to get a little bit better at a time, not overthink things and fortunately be able to see some good results and enjoy some wins," Scheffler said.
The 26-year-old earned his sixth win in the last 13 months ahead of his Masters defence from April 6-9.
"I'm just comfortable with where my game is," he added in a news conference. "I feel like I'm improving. I'm definitely learning more and more, the more you can get into contention and be in the moments ... I guess the experience helps.
"I had some times throughout week where I didn't feel like I was swinging my best or playing at 100%, and then I would just kind of wait and pick my moments.
"Before Phoenix (in 2022) I had this idea that I had to play perfect on Sundays and hit nothing but good shots, and that's not necessarily how golf is played. The most valuable thing is knowing what you feel like and being able to prepare for it."
At the Tour Championship in August, Scheffler squandered a six-shot lead in the final round and lost to Rory McIlroy by one stroke.
"I was mentally and physically drained, emotionally drained," Scheffler said. "But the hard times make the good times that much sweeter.
"Going into the Masters, it's going to be a fun week."
(Reporting by Hritika Sharma in Bengaluru; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
