PGA Tour
Ryan Palmer's photoshop skills may be the reason he landed Scottie Scheffler as Zurich teammate (yes, really)
Chris Graythen
As a 45-year-old father of two, it's simply assumed that Ryan Palmer isn't very tech-savvy, at least for those of us under the age of 30. But as the four-time PGA Tour winner reminded us on Wednesday, you should never judge a book by its cover, or, in this case, a dad by other dads' inability to handle a computer.
The question/prevailing thought that prompted Palmer to reveal that he's a tech-savvy 40-something was - how does he keep getting these world-class players to team up with him in the Zurich Classic of New Orleans? First, it was Jordan Spieth, who Palmer tied for fourth with in 2017 and missed the cut with in 2018. He quickly moved on to future World No. 1 Jon Rahm, who he won with in 2019 and then tied for seventh with in 2021.
This week, Palmer is paired with Scottie Scheffler, who, right after grabbing the World No. 1 ranking, won the Masters in dominant fashion, securing his first major title. But the connection started well before Scheffler blew up, as he and Palmer share the same coach, Randy Smith, at home in Texas. They also share the same trainer, and the two work out together during the offseason. It's a good social media joke, that Palmer latches on to the best players in the world, but they are obviously good friends.
"[Jon Rahm] made it pretty clear earlier in the year that he was not playing because he's playing next week," Palmer said Wednesday at TPC Louisiana. "So I want to play with guys that I know real well, good friends of mine. Not just because obviously the big talk around is I keep playing with guys that are top ranked players. Well, they want to play with me, which is a good thing."
Palmer says he approached Scheffler in February at Riviera, knowing that Scheffler was not going to play at Harbour Town or in Mexico next week, and knowing that he would take four consecutive weeks off. That was his initial way in. But then he brought out the big guns -- his photoshop skills.
"The thing that really sealed it was I sent a picture of me and Jon with the trophy, but I imposed [Scheffler's] face on it."
True story? Apparently yes, very much so. "Yeah, Photoshop. I think that got him," Palmer added.
"We practice a lot together at home with Randy," he said. "I met Scottie back in high school before he went to Texas and just kept up with him. We play a lot of golf at home with Jordan [Spieth] and [Tony] Romo and stuff. Of course we work out together. Being 45, I don't have the strength he does, but I try to keep up, which is fine. We have a good time doing it."
Well, if you can't keep up with the kids on the course, you might as well try to keep up with them on the ol' internet. Well played, Ryan, well played. Next year, Palmer will be Tik-Tokking his way to a partnership with Will Zalatoris. You heard it here first.