Scottie Scheffler feeling close even as challenging week ends without Players three-peat

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla.— Scottie Scheffler’s bid at a Players Championship three-peat ended rather quietly over the weekend.Scheffler, the No.

1 ranked player in the world who last year became the first player to win back-to-back Players, finished 4-under par for the week, well off the lead.After what was a trying week for Scheffler, who showed some uncharacteristic frustration in the windy conditions on Saturday, he insisted he doesn’t feel far off the top of his game.“I feel very close,” Scheffler said.“It was definitely challenging with the winds and getting the ball close to the hole.

Definitely started hitting some better shots.Starting to feel more comfortable with my irons.“The last two weeks I feel like I’ve definitely driven the ball better.

Definitely some positives from this week.I’m looking forward to another prep week at home and then getting ready for Houston.”Scheffler, of course, is truly prepping for the Masters, which he’s won in two of the past three years.“I walk away from this week feeling close,” Scheffler said.

“I feel like there’s some stuff that I need to work on at home, but I feel very close.Overall, I felt like I did some good things this week, felt like I could have done some other things better.

But I don’t feel far off by any means.”Scheffler conceded to feeling himself “getting a bit frustrated” at times, adding, “It’s just one of those things.I’m a competitive guy, and I felt like I could have played a lot better this week.

I finished the week 4-under par.I felt like I played some better golf than that.’’So, Scheffler would fail to make history this week the way he did last year.“Being able to repeat here was very special and I would have liked to have done it a third time,” he sad.

“At the end of the day, I just didn’t have what it took this week.But it’s cool going into the locker room, turning left, going to the champions side, and I have a lot of great memories here...