Scottie Scheffler might be the world’s number one golfer right now. And it wasn’t really an easy road. He had to struggle in 2022 to move to world number one in the OWGR list and later claim the Masters title after beating Rory McIlroy by three strokes. And that extracted a “scary” acknowledgement from his father, Scott Scheffler. 

During his recent appearance on On Course with Brian Crowell and Frank Darby, Ian O’Connor, a renowned sports columnist, revealed, “I remember when he won his first Masters, and I was standing next to his father. And Scott said, ‘You know, the scary thing is now my son belongs to the world.’”

He then went on to win the Masters once again in 2024. In 2025, he claimed victory at the PGA Championship and The Open Championship, putting him further up on the pedestal of glory. You may wonder that, as the world’s best golfer, Scottie Scheffler has a responsibility to carry the sport and inspire the next generation, but he thinks otherwise. He knows where his priorities lie.

“It’s special to live your dreams, but I don’t want to inspire the next generation of golfers. I’m not out here to inspire someone to be the best player in the world. This is not a fulfilling life. It’s fulfilling from the sense of accomplishment, but it’s not fulfilling from a sense of the deepest places of your heart,” he said at The Open last year.

“Every day when I wake up early to go put in the work, my wife thanks me for going out and working so hard. When I get home, I thank her every day for taking care of our son. That’s why I talk about family being my priority, because it really is,” he said. “I’m blessed to be able to come out here and play golf, but if my golf ever started affecting my home life or it ever affected the relationship I have with my wife or my son, that’s going to be the last day that I play out here for a living.”

“This is not the be-all, end-all. This is not the most important thing in my life. That’s why I wrestle with, why is this so important to me? Because I’d much rather be a great father than I would be a great golfer. At the end of the day, that’s what’s more important to me.”

O’Connor believes that Scheffler’s parents deserve recognition for their enormous success. Recalling their time at Highland Park High School, Dallas, O’Connor revealed that Scott Scheffler was one of the best basketball players on the team. He played on the defensive. But he was highly competitive and annoying to play against. However, Scheffler’s parents, Scott and Diane, did “an incredible job raising him.”

He continued, “You couldn’t ask for more from Scottie Scheffler, the way he’s carried himself as a multiple major champion. And when he’s done, he’ll be considered one of the greatest players of all time.” 

But to Scott, there’s only one thing that matters the most. Talking to ESPN following his son’s second Masters win, he claimed that he was happy that Scheffler is “a good person.” He expressed his pride in watching his son treat people the right way, that is, with kindness. Even at the 2017 Walker Cup, when Scheffler failed to qualify, his father declared his pride in the way he handled the adversity.

Even the famed golfer believes his upbringing was the perfect one. 

Scottie Scheffler weighs in on his upbringing

At the press conference following his second Masters win, Scheffler revealed that his father never really looked at him as a golfer. He never pushed him to become a good golfer. But his parents had a different plan for him. 

“My parents pushed more education and being kind to people,” Scottie Scheffler acknowledged. 

There are times when Scheffler witnesses parents pushing their children to become good at something. They believe that it’ll ultimately bring them happiness. But there’s a catch that only the best in the world know about. 

“Becoming a really good golfer may bring you a little bit of momentary joy, but it doesn’t sustain it for very long,” Scheffler admitted. “Winning a tournament makes me happy for about five minutes, and then you go do a bunch of other things that are a little bit more difficult than winning the tournament.”

But the one thing that helps is striving for one’s family. And that’s what Scheffler has been doing.