Why Ted Scott gambles with Scottie Scheffler on the golf course

Scottie Scheffler had a banner year in 2024 and his caddy, Ted Scott, has been by his side every step of the way.

Scott, who previously worked for Bubba Watson for 15 years, became Scheffler’s bag three years ago in 2021 and was immediately impressed not only by the quality of Scheffler’s game, but also by his mind.

“The guy thinks things through, he handles pressure really well,” Scott said of Scheffler. “He’s super smart, very golf smart, super disciplined. I think it all starts in your head.”

One way Scott likes to encourage Scheffler’s naturally competitive nature is to create side bets, one of which involves holes. Every year, Scott challenges Scheffler to play 10 holes in a season, and on this week’s episode of Subpar, he explained why hosts Colt Knost and Drew Stoltz.

“It’s something I knew right away, that he was super competitive,” Scott said. “It didn’t take long for me to see the fire burning inside him. And so as a caddy, I just try to think of ways to bring that out in him and sometimes the distraction of competing for something else can take away from the pressure of the big moment.

“If he’s got a strong chip, he’s not thinking about leveling up, he’s thinking about taking my money. And so that’s the purpose behind it.”

Scott has lost the early season bet for the past two years.

“I think this year ended in May,” he said. “He beat me in the Players Championship the last two years.”

Such are the risks of betting against the world number 1.

For more from Scottincluding how he ended up working for Scheffler, and the chaos of Arrest of Scheffler at the PGA Championship, watch the full episode below.

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As a four-year member of Columbia’s inaugural women’s varsity player class, Jessica can blow away anyone in the masthead. She can also drive them in the office, where she is primarily responsible for producing print and online features, and overseeing major special projects, such as GOLF’s inaugural Style Issue, which debuted in February 2018. Her series The original interview, “A Round With,” debuted in November 2015 and appeared in both magazine and video form on GOLF.com.