Scottie Scheffler is an American golfer who plays on the PGA Tour.
Born in Ridgewood, New Jersey, he moved to Dallas, Texas at a young age and played golf at Highland Park High School and later the University of Texas.
Scheffler turned professional in 2018 and has made swift progress since then.
He graduated from his first season on the Korn Ferry Tour as Player of the Year and the following year was named PGA TOUR Rookie of the Year.
He continued his rise to golf's top table by finishing in the top 10 in each of the final three Majors of 2021.
Having struggled to win in his first two years on the PGA Tour, in 2022 he burst from promising talent to worldwide star with four wins in six starts, the last of them the 2022 Masters. He also topped the world rankings for the first time and was named PGA Tour Player of the Year.
He continued to rise to power in 2023 by winning his first Players Championship, a title he successfully defended in 2024.
A month later he collected his second Green Jacket at the 2024 Masters in Augusta.
In August 2024, Scheffler was crowned Olympic men’s champion at Paris 2024.
Amateur and university career
Scheffler won the 2013 US Junior Amateur and rose to prominence at the University of Texas, helping them win three Big 12 Championships during his stint there between 2014 and 2018. In 2015, he won the Phil Mickelson Freshman of the Year award.
Whilst at college he twice qualified for the US Open. After an impressive first-round 69 in 2016, he added 78 in the second lap and missed the cut by a single stroke. A year later he finished T27th at Erin Hills, claiming low amateur honours.
Scheffler also played a role in the US team's victory in the 2017 Walker Cup.
Turning pro
Scheffler joined the paid ranks in 2018 and earned his card for the 2019 Korn Ferry Tour through Qualifying School.
In May 2019, an incredible bogey-free round of 63, including a back nine of just 30 strokes, forced a playoff with Marcelo Rozo at the Evans Scholars Invitational. He birdied the second extra hole to win the tournament, his first on the Korn Ferry Tour.
In August he added a second win at the Nationwide Children's Hospital Championship in Columbus, Ohio, securing it with a 4-under 67 in the final round at Ohio State University's Scarlet Course.
He led the Korn Ferry Tour finals points list and overall points list, earning a fully exempt PGA TOUR card for the 2020 season. He also won the Korn Ferry Tour Player of the Year award, capping off a sensational start to his professional career.
"Scottie Scheffler had an incredible first season on the Korn Ferry Tour," said Korn Ferry Tour President Alex Baldwin.
"We are thrilled to see him earn both the 2019 Korn Ferry Tour Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year. He is a fantastic example of the growing youth presence we are seeing on our Tour and we are excited to see what he will accomplish on the PGA TOUR."
PGA Tour success
2020 was not a perfect year to launch a sporting career at the top level, but Scheffler's upward trajectory continued regardless.
He opened the 2019/20 campaign with eight consecutive cuts made, a run that included seven top 30s, four of them top 10s.
His finished T4th at the PGA Championship at TPC Harding Park and then backed it up with the same result at The Northern Trust.
The latter effort included a sensational second round of 12-under-par 59, only the 12th sub-60 round in the history of the tour.
"You don't ever really get too many opportunities to shoot a 59, so to be able to finish the job is really cool, and I definitely was nervous, very nervous over both those [last two] shots and coming down the stretch, but I think it helped me focus a little bit more," Scheffler said.
Confirmation of his fine start on the circuit came with the announcement that he had won the PGA Tour Rookie of the Year award. However, he was in quarantine when he learned of this due to having tested positive for Covid-19 and missed September's US Open.
"It definitely stunk sitting at home all week watching the U.S. Open, especially the way I was playing leading into it," he said. "I felt like I had a good chance of winning, but it's the world we live in.
"I had plenty of time at home to digest and plenty of time to reflect on the year. I felt like I had a really solid rookie season.
"I would have liked to have had a win last year, but I feel like that's coming on the horizon. I feel like I'm getting close to breaking through."
While a win still continues to elude him, Scheffler has become a regular on Majors leaderboards. In 2021, he followed a T18 at Augusta National with T8 in the PGA, T7 in the US Open and T8 at the Open Championship.
Major breakthrough
Heading into 2022 Scheffler was undoubtedly one of the world's top players, but the first Major win was proving elusive to find.
At the WM Phoenix Open he thrashed a brilliant third round of 62 to get into contention, a final round 67 earned a play off with Patrick Cantlay, and he completed the long-awaited win in extra holes.
Three weeks later Scheffler was at it again. In difficult conditions at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, a third round 67 got him back into the hunt and a level-par 72 on Sunday was enough to clinch a second triumph.
And then, another three weeks on, he went one better than in 2021 and claimed victory in the WGC - Dell Match Play. The trio of successes vaulted him to the top of the world rankings.
But he didn't stop there. He was suddenly one of the favourites at the first Major of the year and he played like it to win the Masters.
Opening rounds of 69-67 opened up a five shot lead on the field and he rarely looked like conceding it at the weekend. He even missed two short putts on the final green and still won by three.
"I have dreamed of being here and competing," Scheffler said. "Friday is the first time I actually thought about winning. In a way I'm glad I messed up the last, it has made me a little less emotional speaking now."
Players Championship success
After lifting his first Players Championship in 2023, Scheffler overturned a five-shot deficit to become the first player to successfully defend the title the tournament’s 50-year history in March 2024.
Scheffler carded an eagle and six birdies in a flawless closing 64 at Sawgrass to finish 20 under par, a shot ahead of US Open champion Wyndham Clark, Open champion Brian Harman and Xander Schauffele.
“It’s pretty special,” Scheffler told CBS. “It’s something you don’t really get the opportunity to do very often.
“It’s tough enough to win one Players so to have it back-to-back is extremely special and I’m really thankful.
“I put up a good fight for four days, Teddy (Scott, his caddie) kept me in a good head space. We had a great finish yesterday, got off to a slow start today and then the hole-out on four kind of propelled us a little bit.
“I hit a lot of good shots today, did a lot of good things this week and it’s nice to come out on top.”
Another Green Jacket
Scheffler fully justified his status as pre-tournament favourite with a nerveless second Masters title in the space of three years at Augusta National.
The world number one carded a closing 68 to finish 11 under par and four shots clear of Sweden’s Ludvig Aberg, with England’s Tommy Fleetwood, two-time major winner Collin Morikawa and Max Homa three strokes further back.
Scheffler held his nerve as his rivals stumbled around Amen Corner and responded magnificently when Aberg kept the pressure on, the 24-year-old again demonstrating his enormous potential on his major debut.
He has won three of his last four events and finished runner-up in the other.
Olympic glory
Scottie Scheffler was crowned Olympic men’s champion at Paris 2024 in August.
Scheffler finished with a 19 under par total, the world number one also tied Le Golf National course record with a 62.
Tommy Fleetwood was level with USA’s Scheffler with two to play, but a bogey on the 17th cost him dear.
Scheffler produced six birdies in his back-nine 29 to add to the multiple titles he has won on the PGA Tour this year.
“I felt it was slipping away after having no birdies from four through nine,” said Scheffler, who was overcome with emotion on the podium.
“I was doing good but getting nothing out of it, and I thank Teddy (Scott, his caddie) for keeping me in the right head space.”
Scottie Scheffler's personal life
Scheffler played plenty of basketball in his younger days and remains very fond of playing table tennis, but ultimately settled on golf as his preferred sport to launch a career in.
Scheffler is married to Meredith Scudder.
According to Golf Monthly, he admires Michael Jordan for the basketball career that he had and also has a serious fear of heights.
Scottie Scheffler's net worth
Scheffler's net worth is around $50 million.
