Scottie Scheffler arrives at Riviera Country Club this week as the worldâs top-ranked player, yet he is still seeking his first victory at the prestigious Genesis Invitational. While his relentless ball-striking and world-class short game make him a perennial favorite, his true secret weapon this week may not be a swing thought or a putting fix, but the man walking alongside him: veteran caddie Ted Scott.
Scott is the most successful caddie in the field at Riviera, and his unparalleled history on the unique course provides an advantage no other player has.
The Winningest Man on the Bag
Ted Scott holds the remarkable distinction of being the winningest caddie in the modern history of the Genesis Invitational. His mastery of Riviera Country Club was proven while on the bag for Bubba Watson, whom he guided to an incredible three victories at Riviera: in 2014, 2016, and 2018. This intimate knowledge is crucial because Riviera is unlike almost any other course on the PGA TOUR schedule. Scottâs experience at this venue provides a tactical blueprint that can save Scheffler vital strokes, especially when navigating the challenging green complexes.
The George C. Thomas, Jr. masterpiece is famed for its Kikuyu fairways and rough, a grass type that produces unpredictable lies and challenging approaches. Idiomatic of Thomas’s golf course design philosophy, Riviera is a “thinker’s course” with tricky runoffs and strategic doglegs that favors creative shotmaking and forces players to commit fully to every shot. This design principle dates back to Thomas’s first course that he designed on his own, Marion Golf Club in Massachusetts. Though Marion is certainly no Riviera, it provides a fascinating look into Thomas’s ability to extract complexity and challenge from a plot of land, a trait he perfected at Riviera.
Scheffler’s Near Misses
Despite his consistent dominance on the PGA TOUR, the Genesis Invitational remains one of the titles Scheffler has not yet claimed. He has certainly contended, though. His best finishes at the event include a tied for third place in 2025 and a tied for seventh place in 2022. These results underscore that while his talent puts him near the top of the leaderboard time and again, he has yet to piece together the four rounds required to beat the fieldâa puzzle that a caddie with Scott’s course-specific winning experience may be uniquely qualified to solve.
A Tournament with Few Repeat Winners
Further solidifying Rivieraâs reputation as one of the PGA TOURâs toughest assignments is the tournament’s history of unique winners. In the last 26 years alone (1999-2024, not including 2025 which was played at Torrey Pines due to the fires in Los Angeles), the Genesis Invitational has produced 21 unique champions, making it one of the biggest curve balls in terms of predicting who will win each year. This statistic underscores the difficulty players have in mastering the track, and itâs why a caddieâs experience is so valuable.
From Pebble Beach Success to Riviera’s Test
Scheffler enters the week in strong form, having posted a T4 finish last week at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am with a blistering final round 63. But while his recent performance confirms his game is dialed in throughout the bag, Riviera presents a different kind of test. Itâs a place where talent alone often isnât enoughânotable names who never won at Riviera include Tiger Woods and Jack Nicholas.
Ted Scott’s experience on the bag for multiple wins where so many others have only one-off success is perhaps the X-factor Scheffler needs to ensure his name doesn’t join Woods and Nicholas on that list.
The partnership between Scheffler and Scott has been dominant in golf since they began working together in late 2021. With Scott on the bag, Scheffler has won 20 PGA TOUR events, including four majorsâthe Masters (2022, 2024), the PGA Championship (2025), and The Open Championship (2025)âalong with the 2024 FedEx Cup and a 2024 Olympic Gold Medal.
For a player known for his discipline and process, having Scottâs proven formula for success at Riviera is the ultimate ace up the sleeve for the player who already holds the most dominant hand in golf.
