Back at the 2024 PGA Championship and last week’s FedEx St. Jude Championship, Scottie Scheffler almost gave a glimpse of how he was before Ted Scott came along. As the usual caddie handles a family emergency back home, the world No. 1 has been scrambling to find a fill-in. At Caves Valley, it was Chris Kirk’s caddie, Michael Cromie. Amidst the comfort of having Scott’s friend on his bag, we saw the same Scheffler again on his way to winning the BMW Championship.

Schefller started the final round trailing Robert MacIntyre by 4 shots. But the intimidating 17th hole changed everything. On Sunday, the pin sat elevated at the end of the green with water to the right and a bunker to the left. Scheffler flopped his chip to the top of the slope to watch it drop in the back of the cup. Just as it happened, Scheffler and Chromie exchanged high-fives, smiling at the feat as MacIntyre watched in stunned resignation. Scheffler secured a par at the 18th for the win for his first win this season without Tedd Scott. But that didn’t stop the World No. 1 from giving flowers to Chromie.

In his post-win presser, Scheffler was asked if it felt different not having Scott in the big moment. Scheffler honestly replied, “Yeah, it was definitely different for sure. But Cromie was doing a great job. He’s a guy I can trust. He’s one of Ted’s good buddies. I’d just say it’s pretty much as simple as that. Cromie is a guy that works hard. He does his prep work, and he was an easy guy for me to trust out there. 

“I felt like we did a good job of talking through our shots and staying patient and keep doing the right things even when things were looking a little bit squirrelly there on the back nine. We did a good job of staying focused and continuing to hit shots at the right targets. Closed the tournament out nicely.”

This was the first time Scottie Scheffler has won without Ted Scott being on his bag since 2021. However, he had to leave in the final round of the FedEx St. Jude’s Championship. But Cromie’s presence made it easy for Scheffler to handle the change, especially during a high-stakes event like the BMW Championship. With the win, Scheffler becomes the first player since Tiger Woods (2005-07) with back-to-back seasons of five or more wins. Close friend Brad Payne, filled in at Memphis.

Despite making three birdies on the back nine, including a chip-in on the 17th, Scheffler struggled with two bogeys that nearly cost him. But it was Michael Cromie’s presence that helped him navigate the pressure-packed round.

When Scottie Scheffler was asked if his communication with Michael Cromie felt different compared to how he usually interacts with Ted Scott, Scheffler was thoughtful in his response. “That’s something I’ll have to reflect on later. Overall I’m not a guy that talks a ton out there on the golf course. Cromie, I think, does a really good job of being really even keel. He’s not a guy that’s going to overreact to anything. He did a really good job of just staying even keel all week and kind of impervious to the pressure of a final round, and he did a really good job,” the 18-time PGA Tour winner said.

Cromie, who usually caddies for Chris Kirk, was able to fill in for Scheffler at the right time. Kirk finished outside of the top 50 heading into the BMW Championship and was eliminated from the playoffs. This opportunity gave Cromie valuable experience working with one of the Tour’s hottest players, exposing him to a different level of pressure and strategy. Cromie also banked a big paycheck with Scheffler’s win.

Being on Scottie Scheffler’s bag was beneficial to Cromie

Working with Scottie Scheffler was not just beneficial to experience new heights for Cromie, but it also added big to his purse. While Scottie Scheffler’s win earned him $3.6 million on Sunday, Michael Cromie took home a jaw-dropping $360,000. For the caddie, that’s a number he must not have seen in a while. Chris Kirk currently ranks 55th on the season money list with only $2.9 million to his name.

Kirk has a solid but quieter season with only three top-10 finishes, including one runner-up finish at the 2025 Rocket Classic. But lack of results in important events like the Memorial and the 2025 Masters, where he missed the cut, Chris Kirk hasn’t banked anywhere close to what Scheffler has. Getting to be Scheffler’s caddie was also an exciting opportunity, according to how Cromie reflected on it.

On Monday, after Kirk was eliminated after their Memphis outing, Cromie had just reached home. Ten minutes later, he got a message from Scheffler for the opportunity. Then, he had said, “That was fun. My wife was excited because I was supposed to be home for five months … then I got a text from Scottie.”

So, being on Scheffler’s bag for the week, Michael Cromie finally got a glimpse of the financial rewards that Ted Scott earns, who has made enough to even out-earn top players on the tour. This boost is all thanks to Scheffler’s dominant run, who has now won 18 times in his PGA Tour career, all within the last four years.

This week’s win was Scheffler’s third win in seven events since the 2025 Memorial, and it is the third time Scheffler has overcome at least a four-shot deficit after 54 holes. His solid season has not only elevated Ted Scott’s career but also opened doors and opportunities for those around him, including his stand-in caddie. Next, we will see if Scheffler can continue his winning streak and hope for Scott to return by his side soon.