Ted Scott, A Caddie Unlike Any Other
Have you ever noticed the numbers on the caddie jumpsuits at the Masters? If you haven’t... bet, you will now. Each player is assigned a number at registration, which the caddie adorns on the front left breast of their white jumpsuit, except for the number one, which is reserved for the defending champion.
This year, Arccos ambassador, Ted Scott, will get to wear the number one for defending Masters’ champion, Scottie Scheffler, as he noted in an interview with us, “… That’s a cool honor and I’m going to remind Scottie of it each day that he’s done it before.”
Although Scott is getting to wear the number one on his jumper for this year’s Masters, it's not the first time he has done so. In fact, he has worn it twice before; for Bubba Watson’s victories in 2012 and 2014. But, this is the first year that he gets to don the special patch, for the current number-one-ranked player in the world. We asked Ted, “What makes this year different?”
“...being the defending champ comes with lots of distractions. And on top of that, being ranked #1 in the world adds even more noise. So, we must remember to block all that out and focus on the task at hand. It’s tough, but Scottie is the man for the job!”
Ted Scott is no doubt one of the more seasoned and decorated caddies, securing 10 wins and 2 majors with Bubba and 6 more, including 1 major with Scottie, thus far. The advice he shares must be special. So, we asked the experienced looper, “If any Arccos Member ever gets to play Augusta, what insider caddie advice can you share with us?”
Scott’s advice, “Stay below the hole! Most people don’t get the chance to putt on greens that fast. So, staying below the hole is important. Second, don’t worry about your score. It’s Augusta! Soak it all in!”
Ted has a major point there, it’s Augusta! For some of us, the closest we’ll get to playing Augusta is with Arccos Preview Caddie. The A.I. technology can closely predict your shots, giving you a realistic sense of how you would play the championship course. Scott noted the last time he played Augusta was two weeks before Bubba’s win in 2014.
“The day we played; conditions were tough. Justin Rose said he thought the greens that day were tournament speed. I think I had 5 three putts,” Scott remarked.
If Ted Scott, who’s around a plus-4 handicap, had 5 three putts, no telling how many putts an average 10 handicap might have out there, on top of the difficult layout of the course.
The greens are obviously very challenging, so what happens when you pair the lightning-fast greens with a vigorous layout, like Amen Corner? Ted’s response, “Pray! Amen corner is tough. 11 is extremely difficult and then dialling in the distance on 12 is a large task.”
Augusta can be challenging even for experienced golfers, so as average Joes, we may need to pray a little harder than usual. This week, we'll leave it to the pros to show us how to conquer this miraculous course and hopefully, we get to see Ted and Scottie, leading into Sunday. We asked Ted, “If you’re on the tee on the 72nd hole with a 1-shot lead, what are you talking about before the tee shot?”
“You just try to stick to your routine and trust in all of the practice you have done. And most importantly, breathe. Probably the hardest part is to just breathe. Stay present. The job is not finished yet!”
Be sure to watch Scottie and Ted try to defend their Masters title as they tee off today at 1:36 EDT with Max Homa and amateur Sam Bennett.
