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LOUISVILLE, Ky. — In case Scottie Scheffler’s PGA Championship week wasn’t abnormal enough, the world No. 1 has a new man on his bag on Saturday for the third round at Valhalla.
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With regular caddie Ted Scott back home for his daughter’s graduation, Scheffler has entrusted PGA Tour chaplain Brad Payne as his right-hand man for Round 3. Unlike Friday’s shocking arrest, this plan has been in the works since the beginning of the year when Scott saw the schedule.
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“Teddy is going home Friday night, coming back Saturday evening after the graduation, or probably Saturday late night, I’m sure they’ll do a little celebration afterward,” Scheffler said earlier in the week. “That’s something we talked about from the beginning of our relationship was family always comes first, and it’s the same thing for me as it is for my caddie. It was a pretty easy decision.”
Besides being a PGA Tour chaplain, Payne is a good friend of Scheffler’s and on Saturday will be inside the ropes as Scheffler looks to continue his chase of winning the first two legs of the single-season grand slam.
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It has been an extraordinary week for the Masters champion after being arrested on Friday morning for allegedly not following police traffic orders. The arresting officer reportedly was holding onto the golfer’s moving car and was slightly injured after falling.
Scheffler was charged with four offences: Second degree assault of a police officer; third degree criminal mischief; reckless driving; and disregarding traffic signals from an officer.
It’s no surprise that the deeply religious Scheffler is close with the PGA Tour chaplain. Scheffler has repeatedly mentioned the importance of his faith, even going as far as saying it plays a key role in his ability to prepare and stay calm in golf’s biggest moments.
“I believe that today’s plans were already laid out many years ago, and I could do nothing to mess up those plans,” Scheffler said after last month’s Masters win. “I have been given a gift of this talent, and I use it for God’s glory. That’s pretty much it.”
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