‘I’m willing to trade’: This major winner is mystified by Scottie Scheffler’s coffee routine

Webb Simpson is a *big* coffee guy. So much so he even travels with his own pour-over machine on the road.

“I think he would give up food before he’d give up coffee,” his caddie Paul Tesori told PGATour.com of his longtime boss in 2020.

So when World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler made waves last week by proclaiming he cuts coffee out of his daily routine while playing tournaments, Simpson admittedly could not relate.

“That’s a whole other level of commitment,” said Simpson, after his third round at the Valspar Championship where he was two back. “Probably why he’s No. 1 in the world. But I’m willing to trade those moments of happiness in the morning for a couple shots a year it might cost me.”

To counter GOLF’s Claire Rogers’ claim she is the last person who can talk about someone’s coffee habits, I am actually the last person because a cup of joe has never passed my lips. Nevertheless, it’s tough to say Simpson’s strategy has hindered him that much as he’s collected seven PGA Tour wins, including the 2012 U.S. Open over his 15-year career.

The North Carolina native said he has about four or five javas a day while at home.

“Typically three before lunch, one post-lunch, and one right before dinner,” Simpson said with a smile.

Last week, a night before winning the Players Championship, Scheffler shocked many — including most of my colleagues — by saying he won’t drink coffee during tournaments.

“I make myself coffee every morning at home, but I don’t do it when I play,” Scheffler said last Saturday. “Just no need. It’s kind of my routine at home. I started doing it after the Open last year. I just got an espresso machine and started learning how to use it, and it’s fun. So I just do that in the morning and sit there and read and then start my day.”

And while Simpson doesn’t go full Scheffler and completely cut out coffee during tournaments (of course he doesn’t, he has the coffee maker after all), he does scale it back a little.

“A lot of caffeine’s not good for the short putts,” Simpson said. “So yeah it’s a couple in the morning and then I’ll always have one after the round no matter how late I finish.”

Golf pros are just like us, it may hurt their putting, but that fix from a steaming hot cup of coffee is still too good to pass up.