Kevin O’Connell Shares Scottie Scheffler’s Blunt Golf Tip From 3M Open Pro-Am

Kevin O’Connell got a scouting report from the world’s No. 1 golfer, and it had nothing to do with the Minnesota Vikings’ quarterback competition. Instead, Scottie Scheffler told the fifth-year head coach to stop playing it safe off the tee.

O’Connell shared the story during a sit-down with host Kevin Clark on ESPN’s This Is Football, recounting his round with Scheffler at the 3M Open pro-am on July 22 at TPC Twin Cities in Blaine, Minnesota. Kevin Clark posted a clip of the exchange on X on August 12, and it quickly made the rounds among Vikings fans.

“AWESOME story from Kevin O’Connell about what he learned golfing with Scottie Scheffler,” Clark wrote on X. “KOC wanted to play ‘responsible.’ ‘He walked up to me on the third tee and said what are you doing? Hit your driver, hit as far as you can and we’ll go find it.’ Then he played well” —

AWESOME story from Kevin O'Connell about what he learned golfing with Scottie Scheffler.

KOC wanted to play "responsible."

"He walked up to me on the third tee and said 'what are you doing? Hit your driver, hit as far as you can and we'll go find it.'"

Then he played well😂 pic.twitter.com/CxIB3ePmnp

— Kevin Clark (@bykevinclark) August 12, 2026

A 6:40 a.m. Tee Time With the World No. 1

The round teed off early on a Wednesday morning, just days after Scheffler wrapped his run at The Open Championship in England. According to Golf.com, O’Connell told Clark he expected Scheffler might simply go through the motions given the quick turnaround. That’s not what happened.

“It was better than you could imagine,” O’Connell said, according to Golf.com. “It was a 6:40 tee time on a Wednesday morning after the Open Championship. He could have easily shown up and just hit golf balls. But the best part about it was he was an even better guy. Fun to hang out with, engaging with the group, talking to them any time anyone hit a good shot.”

The pairing wasn’t just O’Connell and Scheffler. O’Connell’s 11-year-old son, Kaden, walked the nine holes with them, along with 3M CEO Bill Brown, according to the Minneapolis Star Tribune. A small gallery of fans — roughly 20, per the same report — showed up before 7 a.m. to watch, and O’Connell needled that the crowd’s cheers for him were slightly louder than the ones for Scheffler when they were introduced on the first tee.

The Advice That Changed O’Connell’s Round

Golf-wise, O’Connell said he came in playing conservatively, laying up with 3-woods instead of pulling driver. Scheffler wasn’t interested in watching that.

“He walked up to me on the third tee and said, ‘what are you doing? Hit your driver, hit as far as you can and we’ll go find it,'” O’Connell said, per the clip shared by Clark. “I said, oh, that makes sense, and I started playing okay.”

It’s a simple piece of advice, but it lines up with how Scheffler, the world’s No. 1 ranked golfer, actually plays. The Star Tribune reported O’Connell was struck watching Scheffler work the course up close, including a 20-foot birdie putt he made look routine on the first hole. “It’s just him and his ball and his club out here,” O’Connell told reporters after the round. “The way he’s able to work his way around the course is unbelievable.”

No Vikings Questions, Despite Scheffler Being a Cowboys Fan

Given the setting — Minnesota’s head coach walking nine holes with a global sports star days before training camp — there was an obvious temptation to talk shop. O’Connell said he resisted it.

“I wasn’t going to just start hammering him with questions about football,” O’Connell said, according to the Star Tribune. For his part, Scheffler is a self-described Cowboys fan, which O’Connell was quick to needle him about. “He’s a Cowboys fan. I won’t hold that against him,” O’Connell joked.

Scheffler, who went on to headline the 3M Open field in his Minnesota debut, offered his own read on O’Connell after their round together, telling reporters he came away impressed. “You can tell why he’s such a good coach, seemed very smart,” Scheffler said, according to the Star Tribune. “I got to ask him a few questions and he told me some stuff.”

Why O’Connell Was Even Available

The timing lines up with the Vikings’ offseason calendar. O’Connell’s round came the week before training camp opened, giving him a rare window to step away from football obligations. He had also played in the American Century Championship celebrity golf event earlier in July, according to the Star Tribune, so the 3M Open pro-am wasn’t his only outing on the course this offseason — but it was clearly the one that stuck with him.