Scottie Scheffler is calm, measured, and almost impossible to read when he is competing. Away from the course, the picture is completely different, and he said so himself on the eve of the Presidents Cup.
Scheffler appeared on Barstool Sports’ Pardon My Take podcast with hosts Dan “Big Cat” Katz and PFT Commenter ahead of the 2026 Presidents Cup at Medinah Country Club. The conversation turned to athletes showing emotion after injuries, and Scheffler didn’t hesitate when asked whether he was an emotional person. “I’m a super, super emotional guy,” he said. “I cry at everything.”
The admission was candid and completely unprompted. The hosts laughed. Scottie Scheffler didn’t walk it back. He moved straight into talking about NFL players absorbing massive hits and getting back up, and acknowledged freely that he could never relate to that kind of physical toughness. “I’m not gonna go down the, I’m a golfer,” he said.
The same Pardon My Take appearance also produced another moment that caught attention. Scheffler revealed that teammate Sam Burns had worn a T-shirt printed with Scheffler’s 2024 arrest mugshot into the U.S. team room the night before. “Sam actually wore the t-shirt with my mug shot to our team room last night,” Scheffler said. “The joke continues to stay.” When host Katz asked whether Scheffler would be taking the team bus to Medinah, Scheffler smirked and said yes, prompting laughter from the room.
To most people watching Scheffler compete week to week, his emotional side is not something that comes through. In press conferences and during rounds, he comes across as steady, analytical, and composed. He rarely shows frustration on the course and almost never gives an answer in post-round interviews that catches anyone off guard. That is his default mode when he is working.
At his September 22 media session at Medinah, Scheffler showed the same calm side again. “I’ve always been at my best when I’m kind of out of the fray,” he said. “Putting my head down, getting to work, and just going out there and trying to grind is what’s most important.”
He also dismissed the “stupid rumors” about problems with the U.S. team, saying they were simply not true. The one time his calm public image really broke was during the 2023 Ryder Cup at Marco Simone in Rome.
Viktor Hovland and Ludvig Aberg secured the largest margin of victory in Ryder Cup history by beating Scottie Scheffler and Brooks Koepka 9&7. Cameras caught Scheffler on the back of a golf cart, face in hands, in tears, being consoled by his wife, Meredith. He later said it was one of the most arduous weeks of his professional life.
That was Scheffler letting it through publicly. He has also spoken about crying on Sunday morning before his first Masters victory in 2022, telling reporters he woke up in tears because he was afraid he wasn’t ready for the moment.
Scheffler is not the only top golfer who shows his emotions. Rory McIlroy became emotional after completing the career Grand Slam at Augusta in April 2025. Jon Rahm has also cried in public after both winning and losing the Ryder Cup. Tiger Woods also broke down after winning the 2019 Masters, his first major title in 11 years. He shared an emotional moment with his children, Charlie and Sam, on the 18th green.
What makes Scheffler interesting is the difference between the player fans see on the course and the person he talks about away from golf. At Medinah this week, he will once again show his calm and focused side. This is his third Presidents Cup and sixth U.S. team appearance overall. On the course, fans will see the same composed Scheffler they know.
But away from the pressure of competition, the Pardon My Take clip showed a much more emotional side of him. He admits that he cries easily and does not try to hide it. Honestly, that makes him even more relatable. The same golfer who looks completely locked in during a team event can also get emotional over the smallest things. It is a reminder that behind the serious face and incredible golf, Scheffler is still just a very emotional person.