ATLANTA — If you have an official USGA handicap , you can now match up your index against the best player in the world. Ahead of this week’s Tour Championship , in which he will begin with a two-shot advantage, Scottie Scheffler revealed that he carries a plus-7 index, an eye-popping figure. For those unaware of what that means, Scheffler has to give seven shots back to the course on the seven easiest holes.
So, for instance, if he is playing the seventh handicapped hole on the scorecard, and it is a par-4, Scheffler has to make a three to post a net-par. He essentially has to shoot 7-under to shoot even-par. That isn’t easy.
But Scheffler uses his handicap when playing with his buddies, often during the offseason or when he is not in the thick of competing for major championships. “I do love social golf. If I’m going to take a month off, if we’re not on vacation, I’m probably still going to play once or twice a week with my buddies because it’s just a heck of a lot of fun,” Scheffler said.
“I love being at home, and I love cutting up, and if I’m not really in peak shape, I am sure my buddies are going to be calling me more often to play than when it’s during the year, and I’m playing really good, because they would arguably have a better chance to beat me when I haven’t really been practicing.” Very few people have beaten Scheffler all season on the PGA Tour , so his buddies have not choice but to try to do so through the handicap system. “I t.