A Grip on Sports: As he dons his second green jacket, Scheffler seems on the verge of quiet greatness in a loud, divided golf world

A GRIP ON SPORTS • Every decade or so a golfer comes along, ascends to the top of the golfing universe, wins a lot, gathers in a few major titles and excites absolutely … no one? OK, a few folks. But not the masses. Is Scottie Scheffler filling that role in the 2020s?

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• Yes and no. Scheffler’s pull-away-late Masters’ win Sunday – his second on Augusta National’s challenging track – certainly cemented his place in golf’s current hierarchy. The world’s No. 1 is the betting favorite every week these days and well he should be.

His status as a contender to win each major title in golf’s fractured world is also unchallenged, with a game that is good enough to win anywhere – as long as his putter heats up.

Another unchallenged status? Scheffler’s boring quotient.

Scheffler isn’t an entertainer. No Arnold Palmer pants hitch. No Golden Bear persona. No Tiger fist pump. Heck, not even Phil Mickelson’s aw-shucks smile and behind-the-scenes batting slips.

He’s more Ernie Els or David Duval, isn’t he? Billy Casper. Tom Watson not Lee Trevino.

Now the question is, will he be the next Tiger or Jack, or will he be Hale Irwin?

You may not be familiar with Irwin’s oeuvre, but over three decades the former University of Colorado defensive back was always a threat to win … the U.S. Open. He won three of them (1974, ’79, ’90). Finished in the top 10 13 other times in the other three majors. But never won any. All the while quietly winning 17 other tournaments on the PGA Tour, with quietly being the operative word. Steady would also work. Competitive, sure. Never entertaining, other than at times playing entertaining golf.

Which is what we see when we watch Scheffler play these days. His game does all the talking. He makes what is so hard look so easy. That is, he takes each shot as it comes. Stays within the moment. Allows the past to disappear, the future to stay there and the present to be his focus. Exciting? Nope. Effective? Heck yes.

And that’s why we feel he’ll separate himself for the rest of the world in the present – and from the Hale Irwins, The Ernie Els, even, maybe, the Tom Watsons who have preceded him over the decades.

Sure, there is a long way to go to reach the less-than-exciting Watson’s eight majors – sixth-most ever. And a lot of potholes on that journey, including the introduction of the Scheffler family’s first child, due any day. Scheffler’s unorthodox swing takes complete focus and consistent practice to keep in shape, something that might waver as life intervenes.

But the potential is there. Like Watson, Scheffler has an affinity, and game, for one of the majors. In Watson’s case, it was the British Open, of which he won five, all in a nine-year stretch. Augusta teased him often but only allowed him to don a green jacket twice. The U.S. Open venues frustrated him, with his only breakthrough coming in 1982 at Pebble Beach. And the PGA, the least of the four majors? It never opened its doors to Watson, with only one second place in 26 years of trying.

Like Rory McIlroy, who won three of the four majors in a four-year span, but has been searching for his Masters win, and the career Grand Slam, for the past decade, Watson had multiple tries at completing the quartet. Seventeen, in fact. He failed each time.

There’s a long way between that cup and lip for Scheffler, sure. But his potential, and domination, seems to make winning multiple majors at multiple sites a possibility. Yet the idea of his dominance making inroads into the American sports consciousness seems even more farther away than that.

As a leading man he is more Tom Hanks or Gary Cooper than Tom Cruise. And, in a time when golf’s box office is split between two competing tours, the PGA probably would prefer its leading star to jump out of airplanes loudly than to stare-down the bad guys with a quiet reserve.

He’s what the Tour has, though. And it should take a few pages from his script. Stay in the moment. Enjoy it. Deal with it. And win.

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Gonzaga: Former Bulldog player Hunter Sallis had an exceptional season in Winston-Salem, N.C. at Wake Forest. Theo Lawson tells us the guard will be testing the waters with the NBA, though retaining his eligibility.

WSU: Around the Pac-12 and the nation, it’s that quiet time of the year, when only transfer portal news – former Oregon women’s player Chance Gray is headed to Ohio State while Arizona point guard Kylan Boswell heads to Illinois – and spring football updates – Arizona State has schedule an open scrimmage and Arizona has uncovered a gem up front – to break the monotony. Oh, and some WNBA draft thoughts, like how will Utah’s Alissa Pili be viewed by the league’s front-office personnel?

EWU: There have been some major changes in Cheney recently. And less flashy ones,. Such as Eric Sanders taking over the reins of Aaron Best’s defense. Dan Thompson introduces us to Sanders’ style as defensive coordinator.

Indians: The streak is over. For the first time in 2024, Spokane has lost a game. The Indians fell 4-2 in Pasco yesterday, the first loss after a franchise-record eight consecutive wins to open the season. Dave Nichols has the story. … Elsewhere in the Northwest League, Eugene is tied with the Indians atop the standings after its 5-1 win over host Everett. … Vancouver edged visiting Hillsboro 8-7.

Velocity: A cross-country trip to face the Lexington Soccer Club in Kentucky resulted in a draw for Spokane.

Mariners: A one-run deficit. Bottom of the ninth. Out of the Seattle dugout trots Julio Rodriguez, ending his rest day to pinch-run at first base with two outs. A steal coming? Sure. He stole our hearts, getting picked off to end a 3-2 loss at home to the Cubs. … The lack of hitting is also stealing the M’s fans’ ability to get behind this team.

Seahawks: The NFL Draft’s top 10 available players is different for every draft analyst. And for the league’s front offices.

Kraken: The way the season ended, Seattle seems to have two goalies that are pretty even.

Reign: A beat-up squad lost in San Francisco after a bad bounce.

Masters: One last story out of Augusta. Sunday marked the final Masters broadcast for Verne Lundquist after 40 years. We realized yesterday most of our personal Masters highlights were narrated by Lundquist, from Nicklaus’ birdie on 17 in 1986 to Tigers’ chip-in on 16 in 2005. What a voice. What a memory-maker.

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• As much as we love spring, and we do, more than any other season, it’s also a transitional time for us. College sports news, driven by football and basketball, begins to wane. Professional sports, especially in this region – the closest NBA and NHL franchises are not playoff bound – also are in a down period. Which means fewer links. Less to cover. Shorter hours. OK, that last one we welcome. It does mean, however, there is less time needed to read this column. And it usually shows up on the world’s computers earlier. Until later …