Much will be made about the youthfulness of this week’s U.S. Team, which is the youngest team age-wise (29 years, 159 days) since the very first Ryder Cup team from 1927.
The U.S. has six rookies, its most since the 2008 team that won at Valhalla, in Kentucky. But among the “rookies” are a two-time major champion (Collin Morikawa), an Olympic gold medalist (Xander Schauffele, a 10-year PGA Tour veteran and two-time winner this season (Harris English) and the FedEx Cup champion (Patrick Cantlay).
Scottie Scheffler, who is 25 and still is seeking his first victory on the PGA Tour, acknowledges that he is a little different from the others in his rookie class.
“I would say I am the only ‘true’ rookie,” Scheffler said Tuesday at Whistling Straits. “... but I don't feel like that. I feel like I belong on this team. The guys have done a really great job of making me feel like I belong.
“I feel like if I showed up on this team and either didn't have friends or the guys weren't being nice to me it would feel a lot different, but I feel like it's been a seamless transition for me being on this team. The guys have been nothing but kind. I think also the top six or the guys who knew they were going to be on the team had a lot of input in the selection process. ... So for me, just having their kind of vote of confidence for me is fantastic.”
Scheffler was part of a practice-round pairing on Tuesday that included fellow Texans Bryson DeChambeau and Jordan Spieth and 2017 PGA champion Justin Thomas. Scheffler is the fourth player to make an American Ryder Cup team before earning his first PGA Tour victory, joining Tommy Aaron (1969), Rickie Fowler (2010) and Jeff Overton (2010). This week, he can accomplish something the other three did not: Finish the week with a winning
record.
