Scottie Scheffler Pairing Triggers Nerve-Wracking Admission From Pro Golfer: ‘Had to Take a Few Deep Breaths’

Justin Hastings’s rookie season has been a whirlwind. Just months ago, he was celebrating a win at the Latin America Amateur Championship, then helping the International team beat the U.S. at the Arnold Palmer Cup. Now, only weeks after turning pro, he’s making his PGA Tour debut at the Procore Championship — and in round three, he was paired with golf’s biggest star: Scottie Scheffler.

Justin Hastings told the media, “Yeah, it was unreal. I just found myself constantly having to take deep breaths and slow myself down because it’s always loud, everyone’s always moving,” Hastings admitted after his round. The nerves showed early. A double bogey on the par-4 6th hole put him on the back foot, but Hastings managed somehow. “It’s kind of you can get lost there pretty quickly, I found. I made an early double on 6 there, and I found that I was just moving a little bit fast, so I had to take a few deep breaths, get back to what we know. Yeah, then went a little bit better.”

By the end of the day, the 21-year-old Caymanian had carded a 71(-1), bringing his total score to 208 (-8) through three rounds. That put him in a tie for 12th heading into Sunday. The highlight came on the par-5 18th, where he gave a four-foot birdie putt to end on a high note.

Hastings also leaned on a driving strategy throughout the round to keep the ball in the fairway. It was a smart adjustment given how firm and punishing the course was playing. It didn’t deliver fireworks like Scheffler’s 64(-8), but it was steady, and that steadiness is exactly what impressed his playing partner. “Yeah, he looks like he’s got a lot of talent. I think he handled the environment today pretty well. He didn’t have his best stuff on the front nine, but he did a really good job of posting a score today. That’s always a good skill to have, especially when you’re starting out—being able to score when you’re not playing your best. And he did that really well,” Scheffler said afterward.

This can serve as a fair summary of Hastings’ entire year. His amateur season in 2025 read amazingly. He won the Latin America Amateur in January, giving him spots at the Masters, US Open, and the Open Championship. He missed the cut at Augusta and Royal Troon, but picked up low amateur honors at Oakmont during the US Open as he stood out as the only amateur to make the cut. Then add in a perfect 4-0 record at the Arnold Palmer Cup. He even made a record by establishing the lowest career scoring average (71.48), surpassing Xander Schauffele‘s previous record.

Moments like these, where a young player gets thrown into the deep end against the game’s giants, aren’t new. Andy Ogletree lived through something similar not long ago, though not without a few unforgettable twists. At just 22 years old, Ogletree found himself paired with Tiger Woods at the pandemic-delayed 2020 Masters, playing in front of empty fairways but with the weight of history beside him. Early in the round, Woods broke the ice with a quirky joke about sliding down a hill, instantly putting Ogletree at ease. But the moment that stuck most came later, after Woods suffered a shocking 10 on the par-3 12th. When the two met in Butler Cabin, Ogletree, trying to keep the conversation light, casually asked, “How’d it go for you?” only for Tiger to laugh and reply, “Bro, I made a 10 on 12.” It was a surreal, humbling experience that Ogletree will never forget.

Now Hastings is stepping into his defining moment. In his first PGA Tour start, he’s navigating the pressure and excitement of competing alongside golf’s best. That intensity has only grown with the entire U.S. Ryder Cup team in Napa, turning the Procore Championship into one of the most electric fall events the valley has ever seen.

The Napa Valley is crowded like never before

The through line all week at the Procore Championship hasn’t just been the golf — it’s been the Ryder Cup shadow hanging over Napa. All 10 members of the US team are here. Even captain Keegan Bradley has been a constant presence, roaming the course in a cart, watching closely his squad, and taking notes. This has led to massive attention on this Napa Valley event, generating a crowd it might never have seen before, considering it’s a fall event.

Bradley, along with his vice captains, rented out a house nearby where they’ve been hosting team dinners and experimenting with potential pairings for Bethpage. It’s a kind of low-stakes training camp, the sort of bonding exercise that might pay off when the pressure spikes in New York. “It’s really fun to be together as a team outside the Ryder Cup because the Ryder Cup is so intense and nerve-wracking. So it’s fun to see the guys interact. It’s a little lighter scene here,” Bradley said. Although for Bradley it seems apt to take this course of action, not many are approving of such antics.

This setup, anyway, was not accidental. Bradley decided early in his tenure as captain that he wanted the players together in the final week before the matches. Aside from Bryson DeChambeau, who is not eligible to play due to LIV, and Xander Schauffele, who is at home welcoming his first child, the entire Ryder Cup team is there. In fact, it was Bradley’s urging that these players decided to tee it up in Napa. And after three rounds, the results are showing: four of his Ryder Cuppers are already sitting inside the top-10 of the leaderboard (Ben Griffin, Scottie Scheffler, JJ Spaun, and Russell Henley), making the excitement for Bethpage more than before.