Last year, American golfer Scottie Scheffler endorsed the yellow jersey of world No. 1, was full of confidence and flew in the lead of the Masters with a five-stroke lead before the moving day. Since then everything had been going very quickly in the career of Scottie Scheffler who in March 2022 became world No. 1 the day after his 3rd title in 42 days. Just a month before that he won his first tournament at the Phoenix Open! Within a span of a month, Scottie Scheffler went from a first-timer to a 32-week timer! 

7 Things To Know About Golf’s Current No. 1 Scottie Scheffler

1. Scottie Scheffler became the new world number one in 2022:

David Duval’s record in 1996 will probably never be beaten. The former world No. 1 had won his first three tournaments in 21 days (so 3 in a row in 3 weeks). But Scottie Scheffler is now on the heels of his compatriot by having taken double the days (42) to open his counter on the PGA Tour (in Phoenix, February 13 ), double the bet at the Arnold Palmer Invitational (March 6) and erase the disillusion of a bitter defeat in the final of the World Match Play Championship last year (beaten by Billy Horschel).

On March 28, by dominating in quick succession against Dustin Johnson (3 & 1) and then Kevin Kisner (4 & 3), two formidable specialists in the discipline, he offered himself his first WGC in Austin. At the end of the effort (120 body-to-body holes during the week), a record-breaking history emerges the first place in the world, occupied since by Jon Rahm, after a vertiginous ascent of 15 places since February 6.

2. A Texan who learned about life early on: 

Originally from New Jersey, Scottie Scheffler arrived in Texas at the age of 8, along with the suitcases of his parents, forced to migrate to Dallas for professional reasons. 

Very athletic from an early age, he practiced lacrosse, basketball, baseball and golf. But it is on a driving range that he has the most fun when his mother takes care of the conduct of his three sisters in swimming competitions and his father lacks the time to accompany him to golf. 

“My parents needed a place where they could leave me without worrying ,” he told Golf Digest. So we joined the Royal Oaks Country Club. I had a place where I could hang out all the time and play golf. But I recently discovered that it was more complicated than that. They had borrowed money for club registration. This enormous sacrifice, they hid it from me for a long time”. 

3. His friend’s death pushed him to make history: 

Scottie Scheffler’s adolescence was marked by the loss of one of his closest friends, who died of cancer in 2013. His name was James Ragan, an excellent tennis player in the making before illness pushed him to Golf. With success since joining Scottie, James pair won doubles tournaments in Texas. A friendship that deeply marked Scheffler, very influenced by the positive energy and the letting go that Ragan transmitted to him in his last months of life. 

4. Scheffler suddenly exploded into the public eye: 

But he didn’t come out of nowhere because the current leader of the Masters joined the University of Texas with which he won two titles of national university champion between 2014 and 2018. 

Winner of the US junior amateur in 2013, Scottie Scheffler discovered the world of grand slam tournaments in 2016, at the US Open with a first round in 69, his first stroke of brilliance. Also the winner of the Walker Cup 2017, the world number one turned pro in 2018. 

He then gradually became a member of the PGA circuit, again respecting a constant progression that enabled him to reach the highest level. A year in the American second division (with a victory and a lost play-off), then the title of rookie of the year on the PGA Tour 2020. 

Four top 10 in Major followed, for an ultimately logical wild card at the 2021 Ryder Cup, accompanied by a big spanking inflicted on Jon Rahm, in singles (4 & 3). 

5. Scottie Scheffler met his wife at Uni:

Scottie Scheffler at the head of his university career would have had the kind of flash that is enough to make your head spin. Not that of this boy with a “humble and down to earth” character, according to his wife Meredith met on the benches of the university.

6. The success of Scheffler’s work, determination, and rigor:

In his first 70 tournaments on the circuit, he failed to find success, before exploding in the fall of 2021. 

He then joined forces with caddy Ted Scott, who won the Masters twice with Bubba Watson, anything but a coincidence. His sporting development, humility, and team spirit caught the eye of American Ryder Cup captain Steve Stricker. He actively participated in the triumph of the US team (19-9) by beating Jon Rahm in singles and became fully aware of his real potential. With this confidence, Scottie Scheffler improves again and again through work.

7. Mr. Scheffler is less flash and more results:

From tee to green, Scheffler proves that in the world of professional golf, there is more than one great story. But the one that has been written before our eyes for a few weeks may seem even more improbable! Unknown or almost unknown to the general public, Scottie Scheffler exploded the counters, until becoming world number 1 and winning the Augusta Masters. 

He is the kind of player who passes by you without being recognized. Simple in his attitude, banal in his game, and his look, Scottie Scheffler does not have a shot that is out of the ordinary compared to the others. Especially not the length of his drive, which popularized Bryson DeChambeau, the new star who seems forgotten (or almost). Comparatively, Scottie Scheffler has nothing that seemed to predestine him to become the new star of world golf, apart from the most important: the results!