They say dress for the job you want, not the one you have. There appears to be some merit in that saying. At least when you look at Scottie Scheffler. The world no.1 golfer had his mind set on the PGA Tour from the early days. 

You know the story – his dad introduced him to Golf; his coach saw great potential; and Scheffler lived up to it. Scheffler’s dedication since the early days somehow gets lost in that conversation. The two-time major champion was ready for the grind from day 1. Why else would he wear full pants at junior golf tournaments? 

The PGA Tour posted two pictures of a young Scottie Scheffler. Our best guess is they are from his Highland Park days. Scheffler was wearing baggy jeans in one picture. While in the other, he was wearing beige pants. In both, the junior golfer and the future world no.1 had a yellow cap. 

His face generally doesn’t betray the strength of his will and the firmness of his competitive spirit. And, the effervescent smile from decades ago won’t give that away either. But behind that smile is a fiercely competitive person who wants to be the best in everything he plays. The fact that he used to wear pants like pros when he was a kid tells a lot about his determination and zeal.

But why full pants though? What’s the deal with shorts and the PGA Tour? Or professional golf? When Scheffler was growing up in New Jersey and Texas, the ideal ‘uniform’ for a golfer was pants, because the Tour didn’t allow shorts till 2019.

PGA Tour’s curious relationship with dress code

The USGA allowed junior golfers to wear shorts in the tournaments. But pros were not allowed to wear shorts till 2019. They still aren’t in competitive rounds. But the Tour introduced a leeway in 2019. By that rule, players can wear shorts in practice rounds and pro-ams, as long as they are knee length, tailored, and neat. 

LIV Golfers obviously don’t have any restrictions. But Scheffler wasn’t growing up to become one. The former Texas Longhorns’ mind was set on making his PGA Tour debut. And, since the Tour had a strict no-shorts policy, Scottie Scheffler always wore full pants. 

Notably, caddies, too, weren’t allowed to wear shorts till 1999. Per Bob Harig of Sports Illustrated, Tiger Woods had to step up for his caddie, Steve Williams, when an official asked him to wear pants or quit caddying on the Tour. Eventually, Williams was given the chance to wear shorts. It was 91 degrees. 

The choice between shorts and pants on the greens is a long-debated one. Indeed, one pet peeve many have against LIV is… shorts. It’s still considered unprofessional and definitely not in line with the tradition. Scottie Scheffler, though, given a choice, would perhaps wear pants. After all, that’s how prepared himself since day 1.