Matthias Schmid, or Matti Schmid was born in Maxhvette, Germany, on November 18, 1997. It is not difficult to see where Schmid’s golfing expertise comes from. His father, Roland, was a club professional at a course one hour north of Munich. Schmid started to play golf at the age of 4, joining his dad’s lessons. The golfer’s father had previously caddied for his son at a few events, including the 2021 US Open.

Matti’s discipline and dedication to the sport is probably a by-product of his Bavarian-German roots as well as a dedicated effort from his dad. That has led to his brilliant rise over the years. Schmid made the Bavarian team at age 11 and then the German team at age 15. By the time he turned twenty, he joined the University of Louisville, where he further polished his game under former PGA Tour pro Ted Schulz.

In 2020, Schmid became only the second player ever, after Ashley Chesters, to retain the European Amateur title when he beat Nick Bachem by 3 strokes in Zurich, Switzerland. Schmid had won the tournament in 2019 as well. This is the same tournament that the likes of Sergio Garcia, Rory McIlroy, and Nicolai Hojgaard have won. He is in some elite company in that case.

Schmid made it to the big league when he participated in the Open Championship in 2019. The then-22-year-old carded a 5 over par, missing the cutline by 4 strokes. However, two years later, he impressed the crowd when he registered the lowest score by an amateur at the Open Championship and earned the silver medal, finishing T59 with a score of 2 over par. The German pro won the DP World Tour Rookie of the Year award in the same year, earning his status on the European Tour in just 7 starts.

Schmid has been a regular on the PGA Tour since the 2022-23 season. However, he still hasn’t achieved a breakout season yet. His performance this season could be the catalyst for a change in fortunes.

Matti Schmid’s 2025 PGA Tour season

The German has enjoyed a topsy-turvy first half to the 2025 season. Schmid started the season with four missed cuts in five events, with his only registered finish coming at the Farmers Insurance Open, where he finished T25. However, he has since established himself really well, recording three top 10 finishes and matching his season high from last year, with nearly half the season left to play.

His best ever finish came at the Puerto Rico Open, where he recorded 18 under par to end up at T6. He also finished T7 at the Myrtle Beach Classic and T9 at the Corales Puntacana Championship. He also made the cut at the Cognizant Classic(T18) and the Valspar Championship(T28). The German is currently placed 101st in the FedEx Cup standings, but his performance at the Charles Schwab Challenge could likely see his position improve and put him in a good place to earn the Tour card for the next season.

The unassuming 27-year-old, after 36 holes, shared the top spot on the leaderboard with Ben Griffin after both carded 11 under par across the first two days. Schmid recorded scores of 66 and 63 on the 70-par course, impressing the fans with his brilliant game on the greens. The German professional golfer led the field in strokes gained from putting as well as overall strokes gained.

Have you been following Matti’s game closely? Let us know in the comments below!