By Mallory Mattingly
You might think being the world’s No. 1 golfer brings some fulfillment, but Scottie Scheffler disagrees.
“This is not a fulfilling life,” Scheffler recently told ESPN. “It’s fulfilling from the sense of accomplishment, but it’s not fulfilling from a sense of the deepest places of your heart.”
Scheffler has won two masters and one PGA Championship. He’s only 29.
“That’s something that I wrestle with on a daily basis,” the pro continued. “It’s like showing up at the Masters every year; it’s like why do I want to win this golf tournament so badly? Why do I want to win the Open Championship so badly? I don’t know because, if I win, it’s going to be awesome for two minutes.”
“Is it great to be able to win tournaments and to accomplish the things I have in the game of golf? Yeah, it brings tears to my eyes just to think about it because I’ve literally worked my entire life to be good at this sport,” Scheffler revealed. But, he added that he doesn’t play to “inspire” the next generation of golfers because being No. 1 isn’t what ultimately satisfies.
“You win it, you celebrate, get to hug my family, my sister’s there, it’s such an amazing moment. Then it’s like, OK, what are we going to eat for dinner? Life goes on,” Scheffler quipped. “It feels like you work your whole life to celebrate winning a tournament for like a few minutes. It only lasts a few minutes.”
Golf and worldly success are transitory.
“That’s one of the beautiful things about golf, and it’s also one of the frustrating things, because you can have such great accomplishments, but the show goes on. That’s just how it is,” Scheffler said.
Related: Pro Golfer Gives ‘All Glory to God’ After Another Championship Win
Because of that, “[Golf] is not the most important thing in my life,” he emphasized.
But what is most important? His faith and family.
“I’m blessed to be able to come out here and play golf. But if my golf ever started affecting my home life or if it ever affected the relationship I have with my wife or with my son, you know, that’s going to be the last day that I play out here for a living,” Scheffler said.
He recently spoked with internet golf sensation Grant Horvat about his faith.
“I say it’s encouraging — you and Ted Scott talking about your faith a lot. That’s such a big part of my life, that is the most important thing to me,” Horvat told Scheffler. “And on the biggest stage, you know, you’re talking and you’re glorifying the Lord and just talking about Jesus. I just want to say thank you, because it’s really encouraging, and I really do appreciate it.”
Scheffler responded, “I appreciate the encouragement. It’s always needed. You know, I feel like that’s one of the, you know, it’s a tough life that we live. Life’s not supposed to be easy. And faith is obviously a huge part of what I do and the reason I go out and play golf every week and spend time away from my family. Like, I mean, who wouldn’t want to just sit at home all day and hang out with their kid and wife? I’ve been given a skill to play golf pretty well and use it to glorify God.”
Scheffler may be the No. 1 golfer in the world, but at the end of the day, none of the accolades that come with that title matters. Using his talents to glorify God and serve his family drive the pro to keep working hard.
Read Next: Scottie Scheffler Wins Second Masters: ‘My Victory is Secure on the Cross’
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