PINEHURST, N.C. — The kids were packed three and four deep around the back of the 17th tee, momentarily — miraculously — completely silent. Then the big Texan in the azure golf shirt blasted his tee shot into the Carolina blue sky, and the kids erupted.
“Scottie! Scottie! Scottie!”
There was nothing organized whatsoever about the gaggle of kids around Scottie Scheffler. They just wanted to get close to him, however they could.
The kids aren’t alone. Scheffler arrived in Pinehurst for this week’s U.S. Open as the undisputed heavyweight champion of golf, an overwhelming betting favorite and the prevailing storyline.