Perspective from the 19^th Hole is the title I chose for my personal blog, which is meant to give me an outlet for one of my favorite crafts – writing – plus to use an image from my favorite sport, golf.  Out of college, my first job was as a reporter for the Daily Astorian in Astoria, Oregon, and I went on from there to practice writing in all my professional positions, including as press secretary in Washington, D.C. for a Democrat Congressman from Oregon (Les AuCoin), as an Oregon state government manager in Salem and Portland, as press secretary for Oregon’s last Republican governor (Vic Atiyeh), and as a private sector lobbyist.  This blog also allows me to link another favorite pastime – politics and the art of developing public policy – to what I write.  I could have called this blog “Middle Ground,” for that is what I long for in both politics and golf.  The middle ground is often where the best public policy decisions lie.  And it is where you want to be on a golf course.

As a guy who loves golf, I often have thought about great pairings on the course – great pro golfers, with equally great caddies.

Remember Tiger Woods and one of his main caddies (though he has had several), Steve Williams.

Or Freddie Couples and, at one time, his main man, Joe LaCava.

Well, today, there is another great pairing as is mentioned in this blog headline:  Scottie Scheffler and Ted Scott.

When I first saw Scheffler, it was back in 2015.  The occasion was the NCAA golf championships hosted by Eugene Golf and Country Club, about 60 miles south of where I live in Salem, Oregon.

I volunteered for about 10 days straight there and it was a pleasure to be involved and, on occasion, to watch Scheffler.

At that time, Scheffler played for the University of Texas.  He was was very good and you could tell he had a lot of potential.  In a final round match against the University of Oregon’s Aaron Miles, also today a pro golfer, Scheffler won.

But, despite his prowess, his team lost to the University of Oregon which was fun for me as an Oregonian and, of course, fun, too, for the Oregon head coach, Casey Martin, who had grown up in Oregon and was a member of the golf club that hosted the tournament.

Then, soon after, Scheffler turned pro and, as they say, the rest is history.

He has become the acknowledged number 1 in professional golf, having won tournaments time after time, especially in 2024 when he set records.

And, on his bag his been his caddie nearly from day one – Ted Stock.

Here is how that happened.

Scheffler knew Scott as both attended the pro golf tour Bible study.  Then, it took another big step when Scheffler played with Bubba Watson in a tournament when Watson had Scott on his bag.  Scott had that job for about 15 years, but the partnership ended in September 2021.  Scott went on to try to earn a living as a teaching pro in retirement.

But, Scheffler talked to the retired Scott, asked him to consider caddying for him, and Scott said he would think about it.

Not only that, Scott when home and asked his family to pray about the decision for a week.  They came back and said — do it.

So, he did and the two have made quite a pair.  Scheffler made millions in 2024 and so has Scott…reportedly about $1.5 million, especially high for a caddie.

But, the good news is that the relationship between Scheffler and Scott is more than about money, winning and acclaim.  It is about their shared faith in Christ.

They enjoy a great relationship on and off the course and it is clear that they are Christians and act like it, both in life and in golf.