Augusta, GA

Scottie Scheffler rested and ready to defend title at Hilton Head

Published

9 months ago

April 16, 2025

Scottie Scheffler rested and ready to defend title at Hilton Head

HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. (AP) — Scottie Scheffler was the star attraction of a parade just two days after the Masters. This one was all about a red plaid jacket from Harbour Town, not a green jacket from Augusta National.

The tradition of the RBC Heritage is for the defending champion to lead a half-mile parade that ends near the 18th green at Harbour Town, where he hits a ceremonial tee shot into the Calibogue Sound as a cannon is simultaneously fired.

“I had some ear plugs. It’s always nice when a cannon is going off,” Scheffler said. “It was definitely a unique experience. I was glad just to be able to make contact with the ball and not embarrass myself out there.”

And at least he was well-rested for Tuesday’s opening ceremony.

Scheffler is in a different spot in so many ways compared with a year ago, when he was coming off a victory in the Masters. He flew home to Dallas for a brief celebration, then got back on a plane to coastal South Carolina for a $20 million signature event.

He won that, too.

Scheffler couldn’t always hit it where he was aiming this year in the Masters. He still tied for fourth and was proud of putting up a fight. It was tiring, yes, but without the adrenaline rush of winning and all that comes with it.

Instead of a big party, a flight home to Dallas and then back to Hilton Head Island, Scheffler enjoyed a peaceful three-hour drive and some relaxation that this tournament offers.

Even with a $20 million purse, this can feel like one big exhale.

Masters champion Rory McIlroy is not playing, and that’s by design. He had mentioned earlier this year Harbour Town was not among his favorites — the course is more about position off the tee and small greens than blasting away — and he didn’t enter the tournament at last Friday’s deadline.

It’s the kind of course on which Scheffler thrives.

Even while running on fumes after his Masters victory a year ago, he still had enough left in the tank to put on a tee-to-green clinic, building a lead with a 63 on Saturday and finishing off the win Monday morning because of rain.

“This golf course is much more about control and putting your ball in the right spots and staying out of the trouble,” Scheffler said. “The fairways here are much smaller than Augusta and a flatter golf course overall. A bit of a different test, but definitely still a good test.”

That depends on how well he’s playing, and Scheffler feels he’s close.

Everything is forward in his world, though there was a concession that he has been trying to catch up form having missed a month away from golf — the work in the gym, and practice on the course — from his decision to make ravioli on Christmas Day. He punctured his right hand with a wine glass and required minor surgery.

Scheffler is still trying to put together a complete game — driving well one week when irons are suspect, good irons and pedestrian driving the next.

“I was playing a bit of catch-up,” he said. “I feel like I’m improving each week. Body’s starting to feel better. Swing’s starting to feel better. I feel like I’m working towards having another good season. I haven’t had my best start this year, but I’ve had some good finishes.”

He flirted with contention at Torrey Pines. He was in contention until the very end in the Houston Open. And even in the Masters, he was a birdie or two away — with some help from McIlroy — from having a chance.

Scheffler recalls being in the 18th fairway, two shots behind Justin Rose and McIlroy, thinking of nothing but holing out for eagle. Rose was in the group ahead of him and made a 20-foot birdie putt, leaving Scheffler three behind.

He recalls telling caddie Ted Scott, “I guess I’m going to aim at the middle of the green now.” Scott concurred, Scheffler made par and he was on his way to Harbour Town.

His final act was twice helping McIlroy into the Masters green jacket — first in Butler Cabin, then during the trophy presentation on the 18th green.

“It was cool to be able to see Rory get the job done,” Scheffler said. “Definitely from the outside it looked a lot more like relief than anything. Rory has accomplished everything in the game of golf, and that was really the last thing for him to accomplish. The guy has won FedEx Cup, The Players, all four majors. Maybe the only other thing would be the Olympics is what he would want to win.

“It was really cool for me to be there in that moment,” he said. “He’s a good friend of mine. To be able to congratulate him and just see the joy on him and his family was really cool.”

___

AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf

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Augusta, GA

Car enthusiasts meet to talk rides and drink coffee

Published

11 hours ago

January 10, 2026

Press Room

Car enthusiasts meet to talk rides and drink coffee

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – Car enthusiasts met Saturday morning at the Augusta Richmond County Judicial Building to show off their cars and meet others.

It was also an opportunity for these people to network with others.

One of the group leaders spoke about the event.

“So we like to be a community-oriented club. We give back to charities with the money that we make off the car shows. So we just like to come hang out and just look at other cars, and talk to other car enthusiasts,” said Mike Anchor, CSRA Mustang and Ford Club.

There are get-togethers like this every month.

They’re normally the first Saturday of the month and start at 9 a.m.

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Augusta, GA

Structure fire blocks multiple lanes on Peach Orchard Road

Published

23 hours ago

January 10, 2026

Press Room

Structure fire blocks multiple lanes on Peach Orchard Road

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – The Richmond County Sheriff’s Office and Augusta Fire Department responded to a structure fire early Saturday morning in the 3600 block of Peach Orchard Road.

Fire truck shortage forces local departments to wait years for equipment

Emergency crews blocked multiple lanes as they battled the fire, according to a Facebook post from the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office.

News 12 has reached out to the Augusta Fire Department to determine the cause of the fire and to inquire about any reported injuries.

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Augusta, GA

Finding Solutions: Augusta Juvenile Court receives grant for gang prevention

Published

1 day ago

January 9, 2026

Press Room

Finding Solutions: Augusta Juvenile Court receives grant for gang prevention

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – The Augusta Juvenile Court received a grant of more than $1 million to prevent youth from joining gangs by addressing underlying factors that lead to criminal behavior.

The grant from the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council will allow the court to expand services beyond its current programs and serve a broader population of at-risk youth.

“This allows us to build on the work we are currently doing. It also allows us to serve a different population of youth that we have not been able to serve on such an extended level, so we have additional funds that will serve even more kids and to hopefully assist the sheriff and district attorney in not having youthful offenders become adult offenders that they have to obtain and prosecute,” said Chief Judge Tianna Bias.

Addressing root causes

The funding will target factors that make youth vulnerable to gang recruitment, including poor school attendance and reading difficulties.

“Whether it’s that they have poor school attendance, not reading on grade level. One thing we’ve seen is that when you are not reading on grade level that has an impact on many other areas of your life. It’s really just an opportunity to offer wrap-around support for these kids so we can prevent them from getting into unfortunate situations that they may not end up in front of a juvenile court judge later,” Bias said.

Dr. Audrey Armistad, chief intake officer for the juvenile court, said the court’s goal is rehabilitation rather than detention.

“We put them in programs and services that help them to be able to develop mentally, socially and physically when it comes to kids involved with the juvenile court,” Armistad said.

Expanding services

The juvenile court currently serves at-risk youth through the THRIVE program. The court is also expanding services with a new computer lab set to open next month.

“It helps us to be able to provide instruction to kids getting GEDs, parents wanting GEDs, as well as we provide learning loss instruction to kids enrolled in Richmond County who may need remediation in math and reading,” Armistad said.

A gang prevention expert will meet with the juvenile court team to provide recommendations on how the grant money should be spent.

Bias said success will be measured by fewer teens in courtrooms and more in classrooms.

“We are meant to rehabilitate not to punish and we want to help these parents get kids on track so we can see a better Augusta for everyone,” Bias said.

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