Scottie Scheffler would trade this part of his game with fellow pro

It’s an interesting debate that amateur golfers have regularly. If you could steal one part of a pro’s game to take to your own, what would you take?

Answers usually range from Rory McIlroy’s driving, Phil Mickelson’s short game, or anything from prime Tiger Woods.

While it’s hard for amateur golfers to pick just one aspect of a pro’s game to add to their own, the question becomes even more tricky for the best player in the world, for a different reason.

Scottie Scheffler is the world No.1 and arguably the best ball striker on the planet right now. So, it’s tricky for the two-time Masters champion to consider swapping any part of his game for something from his peers.

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Nevertheless, ahead of this week’s PGA Championship, the 28-year-old was asked which element of his game he would trade from a peer to add to his own game.

The answer was his good friend Sam Burns and his putting.

“Today I played a practice round with Sam Burns, and I remember when we played the Presidents Cup here in 2022, it was like he was putting to a hole that was the size of a basketball hoop,” this week’s joint tournament favourite explained.

“I do a lot of practice rounds with Sam, and he’s a tremendous putter. I would trade that with him.”

While Burns might not have picked up a win this year, a look at the putting stats shows that Scheffler could be onto something with his selection.

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Burns, who has been friends with Scheffler since a young age, ranks at the top of the Strokes Gained: Putting stats in 2025 on the PGA Tour. The five-time PGA Tour winner has averaged just 28 putts per round this season and is one of the best putters between ten and 15 feet on tour.

Of course, Scheffler has made some huge improvements to his putting in recent years, but he’s not quite at the levels of Burns yet.

Scheffler is 19th in Strokes Gained: Putting this season and performs particularly well on short putts, but struggles when it comes to those in the 15 to 20 feet range.

It’s probably a blessing for the rest of the field at this week’s PGA Championship that this question is a hypothetical one.

If Burns could impart any of his incredible putting onto his friend, the rest of his competitors wouldn’t stand much of a chance.

Lewis Fraser As bunkered’s Performance Editor, Lewis oversees the content that’s designed to make you a better player. From the latest gear to tuition, nutrition, strategy and more, he’s the man. A graduate of the University of Stirling, Lewis joined bunkered in 2021. Formerly a caddie at Castle Stuart Golf Links, he is a member of Bathgate Golf Club where he plays off four.

Performance Editor