Scottie Scheffler found inspiration in watching Simone Biles and her USA gymnastics teammates secure gold earlier this week, ahead of his own Olympics debut. The world number one golfer shot a four-under-par 67 on Thursday in the opening round of the men’s golf event, putting him four strokes behind clubhouse leader Hideki Matsuyama.
On Tuesday, Scheffler was present at Bercy Arena in Paris to witness Biles win her fifth Olympic title, alongside teammates Sunisa Lee, Jordan Chiles, and Jade Carey. Biles, who had withdrawn from several finals at the Tokyo Games due to the debilitating condition known as the “twisties,” is set to compete later Thursday to reclaim her all-around title from American teammate Lee.
When asked if he was inspired by Biles, Scheffler responded, “All the gymnasts did. Simone, being as talented as she is. I was amazed at their poise. They compete for years and years. For some of them, this may be their only time on the Olympic team. For one tournament to have such an emphasis every four years is really challenging. As somebody who, if I had a bad week this week, I could take a week off and still have another great chance to prove to myself that I can do it under the biggest lights.”
Scheffler, who has claimed six PGA Tour titles this season, including the Masters, looked in formidable form at Le Golf National. He delivered a bogey-free round despite missing several makeable putts. Known for his calm demeanor, Scheffler remarked that the pressure from a bad golf shot is minor compared to mistakes in gymnastics.
Recalling a moment involving Sunisa Lee, Scheffler described how she faceplanted during practice, causing the gym to fall silent. “We were like, ‘Oh my gosh, is she okay and how is she going to do this?’ I’m thinking to myself, if you faceplant, first of all, it’s really going to hurt and it’s going to throw you off. Five minutes later, she’s got to go up there and do her routine in front of the entire world. It’s like a shank, but except someone simultaneously punches you in the face at the same time. I don’t know how to equate it to golf.”
Scheffler continued, “We were sitting on the other side of the gym, and it was so loud. I was like, ‘Is she hurt?’ And five minutes later I’m like, ‘I guess she’s going.’ Flawless. It was awesome.”
Scheffler’s impressive performance this season, with four wins in five events, has drawn comparisons to Tiger Woods. However, the 28-year-old insisted he still has a long way to go to match top American athletes like swimmer Katie Ledecky. “To compare golf to her, I think is fairly challenging,” he said. “I think she has like the 20 best times in the 1500m. That would be like me shooting the lowest 20 scores on tour… like shooting 57, 20 times. I’m going to have to practise harder.”
Scheffler’s inspiration from the gymnasts and his competitive drive set the stage for his continued pursuit of excellence in his Olympic journey.