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When you look at the PGA Tour golf statistics, why should anyone be surprised that Scottie Scheffler just won his second Masters Green Jacket in three seasons on Sunday?
In the past five weeks, Scheffler has won three golf tournaments on some very tough courses. During that span, he won the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill in Orlando, the Players’ Championship on the TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra, Florida, and now The Masters at Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia.
On Sunday, Scottie Scheffler shot a four-under par 68 to pull away from the field and claim his second career major championship (and Green Jacket) at The Masters. He finished with an 11-under par total. That was a very comfortable four shot margin over the runner-up and rising star, Sweden’s Ludvig Aberg.
Prior to his fourth and final round at Augusta National on Sunday, Scottie Scheffler was a bit nervous.
“I was sitting around with my buddies this morning, I was a bit overwhelmed,” said Scheffler. “I told them, I wish I didn’t want to win as badly as I do. But I love winning. I hate losing. I really do.”
There is incredible pressure stepping onto the first tee on Sunday in the final round at The Masters when you’re leader of the tournament by just one shot.
There are a dozen golfers within striking range of the lead. You must wait for hours as the other golfers take to the golf course attempting to post a low score by the end of the final round and apply the pressure. Thousands of Masters patrons (called “fans” in other golf tournaments) surround you as you play every shot. Millions more are at home scrutinizing your every move via television as The Masters is beamed all around the world.
Pressure? What pressure?
Scottie Scheffler is human. The Masters has an experienced field comprised of, well, “masters”. The golfers in this golf tournament include several previous Masters champions, the past year’s winners on the PGA and other world tours, and a contingent of former PGA Tour members now playing for the new LIV Golf league.
Stepping onto the #1 tee in the final round of The Masters with the lead at 7-under par, Scottie Scheffler knew that there were several golfers just ahead of him trying their best to post a low score on Sunday, take home the coveted Green Jacket, and the $3 million first prize.
Over his final 18 holes at the season’s first golf major, Scottie Scheffler remembered to heed the advice of his long-time sports psychologists.
Meet Meredith Scheffler
This year, Scottie Scheffler’s wife, Meredith, wasn’t with her husband to provide support. She was back in Dallas this past weekend as the couple is less than two weeks away from having their first child.
However, it was two years ago at the 2022 Masters when Meredith gave her golfing husband some solid personal advice before taking the first tee in the final round.
“Meredith told me this morning, ‘If you win this golf tournament today, or if you lose this golf tournament by 10 shots, or if you never win another golf tournament again, I’m still going to love you. You’re still going to be the same person. Jesus loves you, and nothing changes that.’”
That calmed Scheffler’s nerves as he played a golf course which demands precision on every shot. He won the 2022 Masters by three shots to claim his first major championship.
Two years later, his wife Meredith was back in Dallas, Texas. This time, Scottie Scheffler would depend on another member of his sports psychology team.
Introducing Ted Scott from Lafayette, Louisiana
Two-time Masters champion Bubba Watson won the tournament in 2010 and 2012 with the assistance of Ted Scott as his caddie. The pair worked together for 15 years through 2021. That was when Bubba Watson decided it was time for the pair to go their separate ways as Watson struggled with a lingering injury.
Afterwards, professional golf caddie Ted Scott considered returning home to Louisiana to become a golf instructor. What he didn’t know was that rising PGA star Scottie Scheffler had other plans for Bubba Watson’s long-time former caddie.
Scheffler met Ted Scott at the PGA Tour’s weekly Bible study. They had the chance to spend some time together during the week of the 2021 Zurich Classic of New Orleans as Scheffler and Bubba Watson partnered for the annual team event. Afterwards, Scheffler decided that he wanted a fellow Christian believer to be on his golf bag whenever he became available.
Before taking the job as a looper for then 25-year old Scottie Scheffler, Ted Scott (who is about 20 years older) wanted assurances that his new professional golfer would end his bad habit of getting angry on the golf course and, at times, hostile toward his own caddie.
Deal!
Scottie Scheffler has worked hard to improve his on-course attitude in recent years. He was downright stoic for the final 18 holes on Sunday at The Masters. Scheffler has relied on his experienced Christian caddie, Ted Scott, to help him maintain a calmer and more resilient presence while on the golf course.
“He keeps things loose”, said Scottie Scheffler. We have a lot of fun together. I respect him a lot as a person, and I respect his work ethic as a caddie. And so, for me, it’s been a pretty easy relationship so far just because I respect him so much.”
Sunday afternoon at The Masters, Scottie Scheffler was standing in the 15th fairway deciding whether to play it safe and lay-up in front of the lake or attempt to carry a 225-yard shot over the lake toward a very slick green shaped like an inverted oval bowl.
In the 1986 Masters, another prominent golfer made the wrong decision at the 15th hole when faced with that very same shot. Jack Nicklaus won his sixth and final Masters at the age of 46 after Seve Ballesteros fired his second shot into the lake on #15 to card a bogey and lose the lead.
In 2024, Scottie Scheffler trusted his caddie. He played a smart shot away from the water guarding the 15th green. The ball landed to the right of the green in a fairly benign sand trap. That was the safest and smartest play given the situation. Scheffler easily secured his par on the hole and maintained the lead with just three holes to go.
After adding a birdie on the par-3 16th hole on Sunday, Scottie Scheffler went on to claim his second Masters title in three years and ninth overall on the PGA Tour.
Game, set, match!
This season, Scottie Scheffler has become the World #1 ranked golfer in dominating fashion. Winning three times already in 2024, he has finished in the top ten on eight different occasions.
He is ranked #1 in putting average with just 1.66 putts per hole.
Scheffler is also #1 on the PGA Tour in scoring average at 68.84 shots per round. That’s a full shot lower than #2 Xander Schauffele’s 69.92 average per 18 holes.
The average PGA Tour player hits the green 62% of the time. Scottie Scheffler ranks #1 on that list, too. His golf ball lands on the putting surface nearly 75% of the time. That is 2% higher than the #2 player (Corey Connors).
Fun fact – all nine of Scheffler’s career victories have come during the months of February (2), March (5), and April (2). Though he is riding the hottest winning streak of his relatively short professional golf career, the #1 ranked golfer in the world will be taking a break soon.
The two-time Masters champion flew home to Dallas Sunday night to be with his wife, Meredith, to celebrate the win and start the countdown until the birth of their first child (expected by the end of April).
“I will go home, soak in this victory tonight,” said Scheffler. “Will definitely enjoy the birth of my first child. My priorities will change here very soon. My son or daughter will now be the main priority, along with my wife, so golf will now be probably fourth in line. But I still love competing. I don’t plan on taking my eye off the ball anytime soon, that’s for sure.”
Scheffler’s biggest personal sports psychologist gets most of the credit
Professional golfers make a lot of money, but they also spend a lot of cash paying for swing coaches, personal trainers, and even sports psychologists. Golfers must play well to earn money, and the pressure to succeed can be overwhelming at times.
Training your mind to have the mental discipline to handle success and disappointment on the golf course (often coming just minutes apart) separates the greatest golfers from the rest of the pack.
Unlike most PGA professionals, Scottie Scheffler’s most effective teacher in how to remain calm and confident under extreme pressure has come from a very reliable (and free) source.
“I believe that today’s plans were already laid out many years ago, and I could do nothing to mess up those plans,” Scheffler said Sunday. “I have been given a gift of this talent, and I use it for God’s glory. That’s pretty much it.”
Aha! There you have it!
The “secret” for Team Scottie Scheffler (his wife, his caddie, and the player) has been revealed. Don’t be surprised if the PGA Tour’s weekly Bible study and Sunday morning church service starts to show an increase in attendance during the coming weeks and months.
The Teacher’s classroom has plenty of room, and His lessons are beneficial for a lifetime. However, success may take some time as you learn to put the lessons into daily practice.
Though it takes a lot of discipline and mindful repetition, it might just change you forever.